Cody Van Felden knows all too well that California often overlooks the needs of homeless youth. Cody became homeless at age 18, after being kicked out of the home of her former foster parents. While homeless, she slept on floors, in a car for three months and tried to get into shelters, which were dangerous and unsympathetic to her experience as a young adult. “I felt alone, confused, and abandoned.”
Cody shared this experience on Wednesday, December 16 at a legislative briefing organized by the Bring California Home Coalition. Cody was one of five speakers invited to share her experience with the 63 legislative staff members in attendance.
Cody is one of 11 Youth Advocates at John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY). Each were formerly in foster care or homeless and bring their direct, lived experiences to our work in the areas of education, housing, and health. According to Anna Johnson, Associate Director of Health and Housing at JBAY, hearing directly from young people like Cody is critical, “Cody’s testimony was powerful, insightful, and a key component to educating lawmakers about what it is like to try to access services designed for older adults. Legislative staff heard the challenges Cody faced while homeless and the solutions JBAY is calling for.”
At the briefing, Cody provided recommendations for what legislators can do to help homeless youth. First, she wants legislators to understand that youth experiencing homelessness are at heightened risk, “As youth, we are more vulnerable to unsafe situations. I was vulnerable even more so because I was homeless. Some risks include financial, physical, mental, emotional, and sexual abuse.”
Cody also recommended to legislators that California make recent large, one-time investments to address homeless into permanent programs. JBAY successfully advocated for the creation of youth-set asides, to ensure this newly available funding was directed to youth. “Like other individuals experiencing homelessness, youth need a permanent solution. If these programs are funded ongoing, homeless youth today may have a chance to struggle with homelessness for a shorter duration of time or not at all.” Read Cody’s full testimony at this link.