Milwaukee Youth Council focusing on 'underappreciated' issues of homelessness, suicide
And although $160,000 isn't a huge amount of money, the Youth Council decided this week to divide the money in half, with one half going to two local agencies to work on youth homelessness and the other half going to two other local agencies to work on suicide prevention.
Youth Council member Corbeau Martin Caldwell said he hoped the money would help tackle 'underappreciated issues in the community.'
The money comes from $160,000 under the Community Development Block Grant program, and is intended to help youths aged 11 to 21. The plan will go before the Milwaukee Common Council for approval on July 31, according to City Clerk Jim Owczarski.
Under the plan, Walkers Point Youth and Family Center and the Hmong American Friendship Association will focus on youth homeless intervention. Pathfinders Association and Silver Spring Neighborhood Center will focus on suicide prevention. Each will get $40,000.
The homelessness issue can be particularly tricky.
'Youth homelessness isn't just you're living out in the street,' Martin Caldwell said. 'You could be living in a car. You could be living in a relative's house. There are so many different ways that housing instability manifests itself in Milwaukee.'
The city's homeless population decreased by 17% last year, according to point-in-time data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which measures homelessness on a single night each year.
However, youth homelessness is harder to measure and identify.
According to Pathfinders, about 12,000 young people ages 10-24 in Milwaukee County experience homelessness every year. This estimate is based on national data from Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago and U.S Census Bureau.
Tim Baack, president and CEO of Pathfinders Association, said it's harder to track youth homelessness because it doesn't manifest itself in typical ways, like living on the street or encampments or makeshift shelters.
'The reality is our young people will not be found in encampments. Just because the problem is invisible that doesn't mean it isn't there,' Baack said.
Young people experiencing homelessness might live with friends or other family members, engaging in 'couch surfing' or 'house hopping.' They may find temporary housing, Baack said, but they are at risk of exploitation and don't have a long-term solution.
'It may keep them off the streets temporarily, but often the conditions in which they're living under are incredibly unsafe,' Baack said.
Vulnerable youth can't keep pace with inflation costs
Youth homelessness can happen for a myriad of reasons, but Baack said two reasons are the housing market and rent affordability.
According to a study last year, a person working a minimum wage job in Milwaukee would have to spend 84% of their annual earnings on a one-bedroom rental.
Mindy Calderon-Pitchford, the director of community services at Wellpoint Care Network said when 18-year-olds age out of the foster care system, they're less likely to afford rent because of a lack of support.
'Oftentimes their transition out of care could be abrupt because one day you're in foster care and then the next day you're not,' Calderon-Pitchford said.
Calderon-Pitchford said intervention programs — like those the Youth Council money is funding — can help renting and finances.
Suicide Prevention
As for the grant money going toward suicide prevention, about 6 in 10 Wisconsin high schoolers reported being anxious, depressed or suicidal each day, according to the most recent Wisconsin Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Almost one in five seriously considered suicide.
Those experiencing homelessness are at a greater risk for considering suicide.
Mary Madden, executive director of NAMI Southeast Wisconsin, said a hurdle for young people seeking help is the stigma around asking in the first place. She said programs like NAMI's Ending the Silence, which uses young adults sharing their journey to recovery from mental illness, help lower the stigma of getting help by having someone kids can relate to.
'We found that that is the best way to reduce stigma is by having somebody that they can relate to come in and say, yes, I've been at risk of suicide, or I attempted suicide, or I, you know, deal with major depressive disorder. I've done things with my life, recovery is possible,' Madden said.
Madden said more intervention services similar to Ending the Silence can help young people lower the stigma and inform not just people at risk, but family and friends as well.
"The benefit for suicide prevention programs for anybody, whether it's youth or adults, are ensuring that people understand where to get resources, where to get assistance," Madden said.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Grants target hard-to-attack issues: youth homelessness, suicide
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Milwaukee Youth Council focusing on 'underappreciated' issues of homelessness, suicide
The Milwaukee Youth Council is trying to take at least a step toward addressing two problems that are often hard to identify — youth homelessness and thoughts of suicide. And although $160,000 isn't a huge amount of money, the Youth Council decided this week to divide the money in half, with one half going to two local agencies to work on youth homelessness and the other half going to two other local agencies to work on suicide prevention. Youth Council member Corbeau Martin Caldwell said he hoped the money would help tackle 'underappreciated issues in the community.' The money comes from $160,000 under the Community Development Block Grant program, and is intended to help youths aged 11 to 21. The plan will go before the Milwaukee Common Council for approval on July 31, according to City Clerk Jim Owczarski. Under the plan, Walkers Point Youth and Family Center and the Hmong American Friendship Association will focus on youth homeless intervention. Pathfinders Association and Silver Spring Neighborhood Center will focus on suicide prevention. Each will get $40,000. The homelessness issue can be particularly tricky. 'Youth homelessness isn't just you're living out in the street,' Martin Caldwell said. 'You could be living in a car. You could be living in a relative's house. There are so many different ways that housing instability manifests itself in Milwaukee.' The city's homeless population decreased by 17% last year, according to point-in-time data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which measures homelessness on a single night each year. However, youth homelessness is harder to measure and identify. According to Pathfinders, about 12,000 young people ages 10-24 in Milwaukee County experience homelessness every year. This estimate is based on national data from Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago and U.S Census Bureau. Tim Baack, president and CEO of Pathfinders Association, said it's harder to track youth homelessness because it doesn't manifest itself in typical ways, like living on the street or encampments or makeshift shelters. 'The reality is our young people will not be found in encampments. Just because the problem is invisible that doesn't mean it isn't there,' Baack said. Young people experiencing homelessness might live with friends or other family members, engaging in 'couch surfing' or 'house hopping.' They may find temporary housing, Baack said, but they are at risk of exploitation and don't have a long-term solution. 'It may keep them off the streets temporarily, but often the conditions in which they're living under are incredibly unsafe,' Baack said. Vulnerable youth can't keep pace with inflation costs Youth homelessness can happen for a myriad of reasons, but Baack said two reasons are the housing market and rent affordability. According to a study last year, a person working a minimum wage job in Milwaukee would have to spend 84% of their annual earnings on a one-bedroom rental. Mindy Calderon-Pitchford, the director of community services at Wellpoint Care Network said when 18-year-olds age out of the foster care system, they're less likely to afford rent because of a lack of support. 'Oftentimes their transition out of care could be abrupt because one day you're in foster care and then the next day you're not,' Calderon-Pitchford said. Calderon-Pitchford said intervention programs — like those the Youth Council money is funding — can help renting and finances. Suicide Prevention As for the grant money going toward suicide prevention, about 6 in 10 Wisconsin high schoolers reported being anxious, depressed or suicidal each day, according to the most recent Wisconsin Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Almost one in five seriously considered suicide. Those experiencing homelessness are at a greater risk for considering suicide. Mary Madden, executive director of NAMI Southeast Wisconsin, said a hurdle for young people seeking help is the stigma around asking in the first place. She said programs like NAMI's Ending the Silence, which uses young adults sharing their journey to recovery from mental illness, help lower the stigma of getting help by having someone kids can relate to. 'We found that that is the best way to reduce stigma is by having somebody that they can relate to come in and say, yes, I've been at risk of suicide, or I attempted suicide, or I, you know, deal with major depressive disorder. I've done things with my life, recovery is possible,' Madden said. Madden said more intervention services similar to Ending the Silence can help young people lower the stigma and inform not just people at risk, but family and friends as well. "The benefit for suicide prevention programs for anybody, whether it's youth or adults, are ensuring that people understand where to get resources, where to get assistance," Madden said. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Grants target hard-to-attack issues: youth homelessness, suicide
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The Trump administration's efforts to reduce federal funding began with a Jan. 27 executive order that temporarily paused many federal grants and financial assistance programs — including those supporting homelessness services — causing immediate disruptions for organizations like RAYS Youth Services in Green Bay. Josh Benti, program coordinator for RAYS and homeless initiative project director for the Brown County coalition, recalled how his organization's basic services were abruptly halted, leaving it unable to support a child in need. Benti's organization provides services designed to promote stability and independence for youth up to age 24. They include placement in licensed foster homes, similar to emergency shelter stays. Shortly after Trump signed the order in January, Benti received a text from his boss saying the organization could no longer move forward with placing a child in a host home. He had to inform the child it was uncertain whether the program would be funded. 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The sheer difference in the number of students experiencing homelessness and individuals experiencing homelessness further highlights how the methodology for quantifying homelessness across the state, which is used to determine a community's level of need, 'doesn't make sense for those who don't know the differences in the methodologies,' Cramer said. The standards of counting between Wisconsin's Department of Public Instruction, which would count a student who may be sleeping on a relative's couch in its homeless count, and HUD, which wouldn't, illustrate the strict guidelines that likely don't come close to representing the full picture of homelessness in the state. 'When you think of the (homeless counts), many assume those are undercounts,' Cramer said. 'But I think the students would be pretty accurate — because schools are working with a majority of the state's student population, and kindergartners aren't hiding that information.' 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In a phone interview on July 16, Gleason said that after reaching out to the coalition for more volunteers, involvement for the July 23-24 overnight summer count in Brown County will now see the highest number of volunteers she's directed since taking on the role two years ago. Homeless advocates added that there's been an increase in encampments, with people experiencing homelessness moving deeper into the woods as the summer goes on. Amid the wet and hot season lately, Peter Silski, Green Bay homeless outreach case coordinator, explained that many of the people he encounters have no other choice than to build simple tents and shelters. Through conversations with people experiencing homelessness and connecting them with local, grassroots programs, Silski said the goal is 'to empower individuals to become self-sufficient, but we want to make sure we're there for them for as long as they need us.' Resources for people experiencing homelessness in Wisconsin from organizations included in this story: Find services in your county through Wisconsin Balance of State Continuum of Care's list of local coalitions of housing providers through 69 counties across the state. Text the word 'safe' and your current location (city/state/ZIP code) to 4HELP (44357) through Wisconsin Association for Homeless and Runaway Youth Services' TXT4HELP nationwide, confidential and free service offered to youth in crisis. Call Home Base's 24-hour support hotline at 920-731-0557 if you're in its northeast Wisconsin service region (Brown, Outagamie, Calumet, and Winnebago counties). Wisconsin Watch reporter Margaret Shreiner contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Rural homelessness grows in Wisconsin amid state, federal funding gaps Solve the daily Crossword
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Milwaukee Youth Council focusing on 'underappreciated' issues of homelessness, suicide
The Milwaukee Youth Council is trying to take at least a step toward addressing two problems that are often hard to identify — youth homelessness and thoughts of suicide. And although $160,000 isn't a huge amount of money, the Youth Council decided this week to divide the money in half, with one half going to two local agencies to work on youth homelessness and the other half going to two other local agencies to work on suicide prevention. Youth Council member Corbeau Martin Caldwell said he hoped the money would help tackle 'underappreciated issues in the community.' The money comes from $160,000 under the Community Development Block Grant program, and is intended to help youths aged 11 to 21. The plan will go before the Milwaukee Common Council for approval on July 31, according to City Clerk Jim Owczarski. Under the plan, Walkers Point Youth and Family Center and the Hmong American Friendship Association will focus on youth homeless intervention. Pathfinders Association and Silver Spring Neighborhood Center will focus on suicide prevention. Each will get $40,000. The homelessness issue can be particularly tricky. 'Youth homelessness isn't just you're living out in the street,' Martin Caldwell said. 'You could be living in a car. You could be living in a relative's house. There are so many different ways that housing instability manifests itself in Milwaukee.' The city's homeless population decreased by 17% last year, according to point-in-time data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which measures homelessness on a single night each year. However, youth homelessness is harder to measure and identify. According to Pathfinders, about 12,000 young people ages 10-24 in Milwaukee County experience homelessness every year. This estimate is based on national data from Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago and U.S Census Bureau. Tim Baack, president and CEO of Pathfinders Association, said it's harder to track youth homelessness because it doesn't manifest itself in typical ways, like living on the street or encampments or makeshift shelters. 'The reality is our young people will not be found in encampments. Just because the problem is invisible that doesn't mean it isn't there,' Baack said. Young people experiencing homelessness might live with friends or other family members, engaging in 'couch surfing' or 'house hopping.' They may find temporary housing, Baack said, but they are at risk of exploitation and don't have a long-term solution. 'It may keep them off the streets temporarily, but often the conditions in which they're living under are incredibly unsafe,' Baack said. Youth homelessness can happen for a myriad of reasons, but Baack said two reasons are the housing market and rent affordability. According to a study last year, a person working a minimum wage job in Milwaukee would have to spend 84% of their annual earnings on a one-bedroom rental. Mindy Calderon-Pitchford, the director of community services at Wellpoint Care Network said when 18-year-olds age out of the foster care system, they're less likely to afford rent because of a lack of support. 'Oftentimes their transition out of care could be abrupt because one day you're in foster care and then the next day you're not,' Calderon-Pitchford said. Calderon-Pitchford said intervention programs — like those the Youth Council money is funding — can help renting and finances. As for the grant money going toward suicide prevention, about 6 in 10 Wisconsin high schoolers reported being anxious, depressed or suicidal each day, according to the most recent Wisconsin Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Almost one in five seriously considered suicide. Those experiencing homelessness are at a greater risk for considering suicide. Mary Madden, executive director of NAMI Southeast Wisconsin, said a hurdle for young people seeking help is the stigma around asking in the first place. She said programs like NAMI's Ending the Silence, which uses young adults sharing their journey to recovery from mental illness, help lower the stigma of getting help by having someone kids can relate to. 'We found that that is the best way to reduce stigma is by having somebody that they can relate to come in and say, yes, I've been at risk of suicide, or I attempted suicide, or I, you know, deal with major depressive disorder. I've done things with my life, recovery is possible,' Madden said. Madden said more intervention services similar to Ending the Silence can help young people lower the stigma and inform not just people at risk, but family and friends as well. "The benefit for suicide prevention programs for anybody, whether it's youth or adults, are ensuring that people understand where to get resources, where to get assistance," Madden said. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Grants target hard-to-attack issues: youth homelessness, suicide
