Since the very beginning of the True Colors Fund’s work to address youth homelessness, we knew we had to meaningfully include the ideas of young people with lived experience. Here’s a little recap of our recent youth collaboration work:
The National Youth Forum on Homelessness (NYFH) is a group comprised exclusively of young people with lived experience and expertise of homelessness. NYFH ensures that national strategies to end homelessness are informed by the youth and young adults who’ve experienced the issue firsthand.
Since 2016, our advocacy efforts have been crucial to securing $167.5 million in new annual funding for the creation and expansion of the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Project. This federal initiative is helping up to 46 communities identify and implement strategies to end youth homelessness. Since the beginning, NYFH has played a vital role in making sure that each community meaningfully incorporates the insights of youth with lived experience of homelessness.
Thanks to the work of NYFH – and your support – youth collaboration is steadily becoming an industry standard in the movement to end youth homelessness.
Over the past 10 years, we’ve also had the privilege of collaborating with nearly 25 LGBTQ youth with lived experience as part of our True Colors Fellowship. By partnering with these amazing young people, we’re equipping them with the skills and resources needed to prevent and end youth homelessness for good.