Road Trip

FIFE - Twenty-three and homelessness in Tacoma, Tomica White had a story to share with HUD Secretary Julián Castro and homeless providers and advocates from across the Puget Sound region attending an August forum on youth homelessness in Pierce County, Washington hosted by Congressman Denny Heck.

A story about a downtown park, she told KING5-TV (www.king5.com/news/local/tacoma/shelter-offers-tacoma-homeless-youth-safe-place-to-stay/299034214), she'd go "to get rest." But not to spend the night. "As far as laying here by yourself if you're a woman -- not so good." Which is why around 6 every evening she heads for a a nearby senior center that, since December, 2015, has hosted an overnight shelter for some 200 young people ages 18 to 24 operated by Community Youth Services with funding from the City of Tacoma. "This is a safe place," she says.'

Opened last December, it's the only youth shelter in the county, a county with, estimates Kurt Miller, executive director of the non-profit Community Youth Services which runs it, some 3,000 young people are or are at-risk of becoming homeless every year.

"We need to let HUD know why this matters and why we need more funding," he says.

Secretary Castro agrees. "As a public servant, youth homelessness breaks my heart because we're failing the most vulnerable among us. As a parent, it breaks my heart because every child deserves a safe place to live," he told the forum. "The simple truth is that no child should ever be homeless. No one should." Especially since, he observed, "oftentimes we know what works ... but the resources are a big challenge."

It's not that HUD's not stepping up. Over the last six years, in fact, its awarded more than $150 million to the Continuums of Care that serve Tacoma and Pierce County and Seattle and King County. Comprised of local governments and homeless providers, the Continuums are charged with - identifying the projects and programs in their communities that are of the highest-priority and most-effective in preventing and ending homelessness.

Ending youth homelessness is also a HUD priority. In HUD's most recent competitive funding round (https://www.hudexchange.info/news/snaps-in-focus-fy-2015-coc-program-competition-recap/) - some $1.9 billion to some 300 Continuums nationwide - dollars for programs serving unaccompanied young people rose over 50 percent and "permanent supportive housing, rapid re-housing, and transitional housing projects combined will serve twice as many youth as the previous year."

More, the Secretary added, needs to be done. Which is why, in the proposed HUD budget currently before the Congress for the fiscal year beginning October 1st, 2016, President Obama requested $11 billion over 10 years in mandatory funding to end homelessness among families and unaccompanied young people. It's why HUD has just unveiled a $33 million funding competition to support up to 10 comprehensive, coordinated community projects demonstrating effective ways to end youth homelessness.

And it's why the Secretary expressed the hope that residents of the Puget Sound region will steadfast in supporting the "innovative" work being done by homeless providers across the Puget Sound area, projects that, he said, are "best practices" replicable by other communities across the country.

Tacoma's support appears rock-solid. Indeed, the City, County, Tacoma Housing Authority and Community Youth Services, says The News Tribune, are "closing in" on developing a permanent 40-bed shelter for for young people 18 to 24 and a day shelter center for young people from 12 to 24 to replace the shelter opened last December. "We know we can impact adult homelessness if we get the young person early enough in their lives," Kurt Miller says.

Young people like Tomica. She's now been homeless 12 years, her days mostly spent walking around town, "trying to figure out what to do, where to go," she told Congressman Heck's forum. "You stick out like a sore thumb."

Not anymore. Community Youth Services has helped more than homeless young people get what they need - and want - the most - a place to call home. Using HUD rental assistance, seven more have just learned the dream's also come true for them.

Including Tomica. "I can imagine holding my own keys. I don't care if there is any furniture in there or not. I just want to go in there put the key through the door drop my backpack and just lay in the middle of my own living room floor and just breathe. It's going to be incredible."

Welcome home, Tomica. May more soon follow.

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