In San Francisco, it is estimated that five to ten percent of the approximately 80,000 young people aged 16 to 24 are at an elevated risk for unemployment, involvement with the criminal justice system, poverty, and homelessness.
Finding housing that is both affordable and safe is one of the top concerns for San Francisco’s Transitional Age Youth (or TAY, which refers to unaccompanied young people aged 18 to 24 years).
TAY is a population that requires a unique approach to the delivery of housing and services.
There are over 1,400 homeless Transitional Age Youth in San Francisco, representing a range of backgrounds and needs.
CSH, working with the local community and Harder+Company Community Research, undertook a thorough study to reveal the extent to which San Francisco’s current system of housing and services is efficiently and effectively meeting the needs of TAY to then use the findings to strengthen the system to better meet those needs.
The final conclusions and recommendations found in Providing Stability and Support: An Assessment of San Francisco’s Transitional Age Youth Housing and Services System have now been released.
This report draws upon a rigorous examination of qualitative and quantitative data collected from service providers and current and former residents of transitional housing and supportive housing.
In San Francisco, there are currently two main types of housing for those TAY who are most in need: transitional housing, which provides a supportive living environment for six months to two years and serves as a bridge to permanent housing; and supportive housing, in which residents have their own lease and are legally tenants in non- time limited affordable housing with support services. These housing environments are part of a larger system that seeks to provide the services and supports that TAY need in order to take advantage of the tools and opportunities to lead productive lives.
Providing Stability and Support: An Assessment of San Francisco’s Transitional Age Youth Housing and Services System is not only an extensive, thoughtful look at these housing environments, it is a lens for us to focus on improving the lives of the Bay Area's TAY population.
