AUSTIN (KXAN) – The city of Austin and other local leaders announced a new plan aimed at preventing young people who exit foster care from becoming homeless – an effort officials describe as an effort to “dismantle the foster care to homelessness pipeline.”
In a recent study from the University of Texas at Austin, researchers found that one-third of young Texans who are impacted by the child welfare system become homeless by 21. In Austin, officials report the number of young adults at risk of homelessness has quadrupled since 2022, from around 250 to 1,171.
“Tonight, there are 1171 young people who do not know where they are going to be sleeping,” said Liz Schoenfeld, the CEO of LifeWorks, a youth homelessness organization. “Unless we act, the number of young people in our community who are expected to experience homelessness is expected to double within the next five years.”
At a Thursday morning press event, city, county, and state officials outlined a newly formed task force’s 10-step plan to help young people at risk of homelessness find stable housing. The plan focuses on expanding access to federal and local housing programs, streamlining youth services, building long-term housing stability, preventing homelessness before it starts, and strengthening regional coordination.
Leaders said the goal is to place 2,000 at-risk youth in housing through interventions by 2029.
“This task force delivered,” said David Gray, the director of the city’s Homeless Strategy Office. “We are committing to making sure we are bringing every possible federal dollar into our region to amp up our efforts to prevent youth homelessness before it occurs, and to build pathways to long-term success and stability for our young people.”
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