Ending Youth Homelessness: Making Services More Youth-Centered

Affordable housing and homelessness

South LA West LA South Bay Long Beach

Pilot or new project, program, or initiative (testing or implementing a new idea)

Since its founding in 1990, UBH has specialized in creatively solving systemic issues impacting family homelessness, including for the largely hidden population of Transition Age Youth (TAY), ages 18-24, and their children.
In the last 15 years, the homeless services system has shifted from long-term shelter stays to rapidly re-housing (RRH) persons (e.g. in a rental unit) then providing time-limited, in-home services. While RRH is generally effective, the model’s staying power diminishes over time largely due to its rigid, one-size-fits-all time limits. A 2025 California Policy Lab Study found that returns to homelessness for TAY in LA increased after 12 months, once rental assistance ended. Public funding only allows for 3-6 months of aftercare once financial assistance ends, a relic of a system originally designed for single adults. The expectation that homeless youth can quickly become self-sufficient is unrealistic and unfair considering their barriers and developmental needs.

Thriving Families (TF) will address the aftercare service gap and promote long-term stability among youth-led families, demonstrating a replicable model for other populations.
Improvements vs status quo include
services’ eligibility is divorced from receipt of rental assistance (services go on even if rent subsidies end),
extended aftercare services (12-15 months vs. 3-6 months),
increased home visits (twice a month vs. at most once or only phone check-ins), and
wraparound services not just case management.
UBH will hire/train a Housing Stabilization Specialist (HSS) and Economic Empowerment Specialist (EES) to deliver services. Every family will develop a customized service plan with the HSS focused on life skills, social and physical needs and work with an EES to address income growth, career advancement (e.g., additional training options), and savings goals. The voluntary program will offer monthly virtual mental healthcare as well as a savings match incentive.
The pilot leverages learnings from comparable interventions in other systems including
1) extended foster care for youth, which demonstrates that longer engagement leads to greater social supports, decreased food insecurity, reduced homelessness;
2) child welfare interventions providing concrete, economic supports to families, which positively affects family functioning and wellbeing; and
3) intensive, time-limited home visitation for new mothers, which demonstrates improved mental health and housing stability.

First, Thriving Families (TF) will prevent repeat homelessness among enrollees and demonstrate its scalability and sustainability via leveraged public dollars (see #11 for detail).
Second, sharing of findings (outcomes, cost-effectiveness) will stimulate support for the extended aftercare model from other youth and family providers and private funders. Target audiences will include the LA2050 network, funders in other systems (e.g. LA Partnership for Early Childhood Investment), and UBH’s collaboratives, e.g. Partners for Children South LA (PCSLA), consisting of 40+ providers advocating for, fostering, and publicizing cross-sector solutions for children 0-5 and their families.
Finally, in 10 years, once scaled, the model will significantly reduce homelessness in LA. Homeless youth are more likely to experience persistent homelessness as adults, and their children are at higher risk of repeating the cycle. Preventing future homelessness is a key strategy for ending the overall problem.