Health Equity – Unstable, unhoused, and out of home youth

Optimal Youth Health

Health Equity – Unstable, unhoused, and out of home youth

In this episode, we speak with Martine Jones and Maria Kelley from Youth Collaboratory to learn tips and strategies to increase program and organizational capacity to support youth who are at risk for, who are experiencing, or who have survived running away and homelessness. Homelessness is a major social concern in the United States, and youth are most at risk of becoming homeless. Each year, thousands of U.S. youth run away from home, are asked to leave their homes, or become homeless, placing them at risk for becoming involved in the juvenile justice system, engaging in risky behavior, becoming teenage parents, dropping out of school, and falling victim to human trafficking. Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) programming is an opportune place to provide skill building to increase protective factors of youth, increase resiliency, refer youth to resources, and build relationships that foster trust and create a safe space for youth.

Martine Jones is a Training and Building Capacity Associate for Youth Justice at the Runaway and Homeless Youth Training and Technical Assistance Center (RHYTTAC). She is passionate about holistic practices to approaching the mental health of intersectional youth, inspired by her personal journey through the foster care system. Armed with a profound grasp of child welfare, she channels her expertise to champion the rights and well-being of individuals facing intersecting challenges. As a former foster, her advocacy is a testament to the transformative power of comprehensive mental health support, ensuring that youth not only survive but flourish in their unique journeys. She channels her expertise as technical assistance provider to champion research-informed and evidence-based strategies for prevention, intervention, and aftercare practices for Runaway and Homeless Youth Program grantees.

Maria Kelley is a University of Connecticut graduate student earning a Master of Public Policy. Through the University of Connecticut BOLD Women’s Leadership Network, she serves as a Policy Fellow for the Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity, and Opportunity and the Office of the Child Advocate. Her passion for child welfare advocacy, policy, and law is fulfilled in her consultant role with Youth Collaboratory Youth Catalyst Team and fellowships with the Jim Casey Foundation and the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute. She aspires to cultivate her lived expertise and love for learning and community to foster equitable impacts across generations.

The Elevate Youth Programming podcast was developed by RTI International and funded by FYSB. The Elevate Youth Programming content does not reflect the opinions of FYSB nor its training and technical assistance contractors but offers topics to provoke thought and provide grantees with tips and strategies to enhance programming.