Teen Youth and the Need for Secure Housing

The Epicenter provides services to at-risk and service involved youth ages 16-24 in Monterey County to ensure they are able to flourish. In the United States many youth are impacted by insecurity and homelessness, and that is the case in Monterey County with thousands of youth experience homelessness each year. While The Epicenter provides supportive services to young people with housing needs, there is limited information available regarding young people’s housing trajectories and needs. For this project I aimed to learn more about the housing needs and experiences of the clients of the Epicenter. I found that many of the youth struggled with housing due to lack of affordability. I recommend that The Epicenter apply for funding to provide direct financial assistance to youth and build relationships with local landlords in order to support youth to secure and maintain affordable housing