Haven for Hope creates program to halt trend of young adults needing housing
Haven for Hope says it saw a 31% increase in homeless young adults in 2023. Haven for Hope in San Antonio saw a 31% increase in homeless young adults in 2023, according to the organization. The organization created a program in August to address this issue. The young adult program, which targets adults 18 to 24-years-old, has created specific spaces for these individuals. Jessie Burdon, senior director of case management services, said that Haven for Hope saw a record number of 789 young adults needing housing last year. The program has proven successful for young adults, with five recently being able to move out within a month. The length of stay for these young adults is changing as they stay for three to four months, allowing them to use programs that create consistency in their lives.
Published : 4 weeks ago by Meredith Haas in
Haven for Hope says it saw a 31% increase in homeless young adults in 2023.
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SAN ANTONIO — In 2023, Haven for Hope saw the largest increase in homeless young adults needing a place to stay so they created a program in August to help address that trend.
Jessie Burdon, senior director of case management services, said Haven for Hope saw a record number of 789 young adults in need of housing last year.
The young adult program, that has created specific spaces for adults 18 to 24-years-old will serve to change this.
Maria Paloalto is one of the first young adults to use this program after becoming homeless when she left an abusive situation at home.
For months she did what Burdon said most young adults at Haven for Hope do, Paloalto lived with different people here and there.
Like many, it a vulnerable time but when she made it to Haven for Hope she said her life changed for good.
After being at Haven for Hope for almost eight months, Paloalto says she plans to work as a teaching assistant and attend UTSA to earn a degree in hopes of one day becoming an elementary school teacher.
She will leave Haven for Hope with housing. Through partner services, Paloalto could receive assistance from a month to as long as a year, depending on her situation.
The young adult program has proven successful for other young adults like Paloalto, with five others recently being able to move out within the next month.
That length of stay is changing because of the program, Burdon added. Now young adults are staying at Haven for Hope for three to four months which allows them to utilize programs that will create consistency in their lives.
Burdon said many age out of foster care having no where to go, come from abusive situations, or another rough circumstance that left them without a home.
Through the young adult program, Burdon said they find community. They participate in town halls, have access to computers, and the chance at an education or joining the workforce.