Community-based organizations to use ARPA funding to expand programs and services for Baltimore youth ages 18-24
BALTIMORE, MD (Tuesday, March 5, 2024) – Today, the Mayor’s Office of Homeless Services (MOHS) announced that two community-based organizations will be awarded a combined total of $1.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to support youth homelessness diversion projects. Springboard Community Services (SCS) will be awarded $1 million and Point Source Youth (PSY) will be awarded $500,000 in funding to support Baltimore’s homeless youth.
Springboard Community Services (SCS) is committed to making a positive impact on communities through a wide range of services, including behavioral health support, at-risk youth resources, housing assistance, senior support, case management, domestic violence intervention, and workforce development.
“ARPA funding is designed to support our most vulnerable communities and this includes our youth,” said Mayor’s Office of Homeless Services Executive Director Ernestina Simmons. “Springboard Community Services and Point Source Youth will provide our youth with comprehensive services and support as they work on their long-term plans. I am excited for the future of our youth, as we provide them with the support and resources that align with their self-identified goals in all areas of their lives.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, SCS responded to the lack of resources available for youth with its purchase of two buildings in Downtown Baltimore. SCS plans to develop a Youth Training Center that includes on-site workforce development, case management, mental health counseling alongside short-term dormitory housing and permanent supportive units for transitional aged youth ages 18-24. “Empowering youth to break the cycle of homelessness demands more than just shelter,” said Springboard Community Services CEO F.T. Burden. “It requires a comprehensive approach integrating behavioral health, case management and stable housing services. By addressing their holistic needs, we offer them a pathway to reclaim their futures and thrive.”
Point Source Youth (PSY) works with communities, large and small, alongside local youth advocates to ensure that experiences of youth homelessness are rare, brief, and non-recurring. The PSY team advances affirming, data-backed solutions such as rapid re-housing, host homes, and direct cash transfers that place power and resources directly in the hands of youth experiencing homelessness—with a focus on QTBIPOC youth who are disproportionately impacted.
"Point Source Youth is thrilled to be partnered with GreenLight Baltimore to bring CARE (Cash Assistance, Resources, and Engagement) Baltimore to fruition," said Vice President of Direct Cash Transfers at Point Source Youth Anjala Huff. "This is our opportunity to show the young people of Baltimore that we are listening, we hear their concerns, and we will act now by putting power and resources directly in their hands."
This program is designed to test and improve the structure of the existing model developed to act as a prototype for the creation of successful housing intervention in response to the alarming increase in youth homelessness across the country. Youth participants ages 18-24 will be given $1,000 each month for two years, with a larger drawdown option of $3,000 to pay for initial costs of exiting homelessness like security deposit, furniture, etc.
These projects, with the support of ARPA funding, will help to establish and increase temporary and permanent housing solutions for unhoused youth in Baltimore City which is a step closer to ensuring that homelessness is rare, brief, and nonrecurring for city residents of all ages.
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About Springboard Community Services
Springboard Community Services, established in 1849, is a Maryland-based non-profit organization committed to making a positive impact on communities through a wide range of services, including behavioral health support, at-risk youth resources, housing assistance, senior support, case management, domestic violence intervention, and workforce development. Springboard Community Service’s mission is to transform lives and build resilience by addressing the unique needs of vulnerable populations throughout Maryland.
About Point Source Youth
Point Source Youth (PSY), with partners across the US, has generated a growing body of evidence and practice knowledge on effectively implementing Direct Cash Transfer (DCT) interventions with young people by placing power and resources directly into the hands of young people. Together, in partnership with GreenLight Fund Baltimore and Springboard Community Services, PSY is working with Baltimore youth consultants and community partners to co-design the Baltimore DCT Program — CARE (Cash Assistance, Resources, & Engagement) Baltimore, to serve and support youth of Baltimore City experiencing homelessness and/or housing instability. Through this pilot, PSY aims to generate evidence for designing successful housing interventions for youth experiencing homelessness, and stand-up processes, procedures, and infrastructure that are geared for sustainability, scalability, and racial and 2SLGBTQIA+ equity as part of Baltimore’s systemic response to ending youth homelessness. PSY believes that by trusting young people, removing financial barriers to housing, and offering supportive services before becoming unhoused, we will see more young people avoid homelessness and stay housed long-term.
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