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Homeless Intervention
Providing permanency for young people, especially young men, is especially challenging. During adolescence, young people can become increasingly vulnerable to negative influences in the community. Often these youth find themselves in high-risk situations. There are hundreds of homeless youth in Illinois. We seek out shelters, churches, police authorities and youth services that are the first contact for homeless youth. We recently identified between 50-75 homeless youth on Chicago's West Side. Many are without basic necessities.
We provide homeless youth with immediate intervention support and coordinate delivery of emergency supplies, clothing, and recreational items. They are unaware of their options or the kind of services they are eligible for. We provide clinical services within 24 hours of contact. We also arrange for an intake evaluation to determine the cause of their homelessness, and begin to develop an Individual Service Plan around their needs. Often they are ill when they come from the streets. Many do not have medical support; we provide medical examinations and work to procure medical cards for future use.
Many homeless youth are not aware that there are several different options available to them, from full independence while working or going to school to living with foster parents or in a group home. We work to understand the conditions that led to their homelessness, provide them with advocacy regarding their best options, and begin to develop a long-term permanency plan for each youth.