Our GLBT youth are our future. They will lead our community through the next stage of achieving equality, building on the success of our past heroes while blazing their own trails. Far too many GLBT youth, though, start at a disadvantage. A survey of San Diego’s homeless youth population showed that up to 35 percent identify as GLBT, many of them forced to live on the streets specifically because of their sexual orientation.

These youth are an integral part of our community, and it is up to us to ensure that they do not become a lost generation.

In order to help our youth succeed, in 2006 after more than four years of dedicated effort, The Center opened the Youth Housing Project (YHP) for homeless 18 to 24 year olds. Instead of only being able to give our homeless youth sleeping bags, we are now able to give them keys to their own apartments. We offer 23 homeless youth a safe, stable place to live, culturally appropriate case management, access to primary health care, mental health care, substance abuse treatment and more.

Having a safe place to live and access to needed services has a significant impact on these young lives. More than 95 percent of YHP residents voluntarily access program services and receive some level of case management. They are receiving employment readiness training, educational development, financial guidance, health education and life skills training. All have access to medical, dental and mental health care. Eight residents are attending school – some are in GED programs, some entering college and one has graduated recently with a college degree. Sixteen residents are now working and the rest are actively seeking employment. Several residents have moved on to permanent housing – in just two years!

For these youth, YHP has been a life-changing experience that reaches well beyond simply having a place to sleep at night. They have moved from struggling to survive – wondering how to stay safe, where to sleep, who to trust, how to find their next meal – to realizing their dreams and starting to reach for them. They are beginning to truly believe they have a future.

The long-term goal of YHP is to provide our young people with housing and supportive services to help them stabilize their lives, then teach them the skills they need to move on to independent permanent housing and become self-supporting. Since one major requirement for achieving independence is finding work that pays a living wage, The Center, with the invaluable support and assistance of Dr. Lester Machado, recently launched an employment and mentoring program for YHP residents.

The goal of the employment and mentoring program is to find opportunities for employment and internships that match the talents and interests of our residents at YHP, providing them with the training and learning experiences they need to begin successful careers. The program is set up to support both the employer and employee (or mentor and mentee) as they work together toward success. YHP staff members are committed to ongoing communication with employers and mentors to ensure that they feel supported and that the placement is successful, while YHP residents are provided with case management, job coaching, employment-related workshops, mock interviewing, help with resume completion and much more.

The employment and mentoring program is currently seeking employers and mentors. Do you own a business? Does your employer need enthusiastic employees or interns? Are you interested in teaching valuable employment skills? We are looking for employment and internship opportunities, as well as individuals who are interested in speaking at employment workshops to discuss current employment possibilities and strategies for successful job searches, and to teach employment related skills.

If you are interested in helping our youth along the road to success, please contact Allison Conescu at (619) 255-7854, ext. 103, for more information.