Life is about to get a little better for youth experiencing homelessness in Kern County, thanks in part to John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY).
JBAY successfully advocated for state funding to address youth homelessness and in December, Kern County was the first jurisdiction to be awarded funding. The newly available funding will provide 34 rental units for homeless youth, together with supportive services.
Cynthia Lira-Martinez, a 21-year-old peer support specialist at the Kern County Dream Center experienced homelessness and knows the fear and misery that accompany it. “It was cold. I was scared. I had nights where I wished that I just wasn’t here because I didn’t want to be going through that. I just felt like everything was out of my control and I would never be able to do anything because I didn’t have any support.”
The project in Kern County was funded by Homekey, a state program established in 2020 to protect Californians experiencing homelessness, who are at high risk for serious illness, and are impacted by COVID-19. In March of 2021, JBAY conducted an analysis of Homekey and found that just 2% of funding was directed to unaccompanied homeless youth.
With that information, JBAY approached the California State Legislature and the Newsom Administration, making the case that homeless youth deserve an equitable share of the Homekey funding. Fortunately, they agreed and set-aside eight percent of the $2.75 billion Homekey funding for projects serving unaccompanied homeless youth.
According to JBAY Executive Director Amy Lemley, the Kern County project is the first of many to serve homeless youth across California. “Congratulations to Kern County for investing in young people. By providing them safe, affordable housing and supportive services, you are providing the foundation to help them achieve long-term economic security.”
As always, JBAY will continue to play a role in implementation, working closely with the California Department of Housing and Community Development. This includes educating youth providers about Homekey, matching youth providers with non-profit housing developers and creating informational resources. JBAY is also providing planning grants to three youth-serving organizations, with funding generously provided by Tipping Point.
According to JBAY Executive Director Amy Lemley, “Development projects are complex, and many youth providers don’t have experience applying for funding sources like Homekey. These planning grants will help youth providers become competitive applicants. Thank you, Tipping Point, for making this funding possible.”