Youth Collaboratory

Preventing and Ending Youth Homelessness: In the United States, 4.2 million youth and young adults experience homelessness each year, 700,000 of whom are minors. A wide body of research has demonstrated these youth experience significant challenges impacting their health, well-being, and academic success, including significantly high rates of victimization, exploitation, and trafficking. Unfortunately, the number of youth experiencing homelessness each year in this nation far exceeds our current resources. Currently, only 35% of homeless youth seeking housing are being served, leaving 65% to languish on the streets. Further, recent research shows these long waits are not only harmful but also increase the likelihood they will experience homelessness again.In response, Youth Collaboratory has focused on working with homeless youth providers, advocates, researchers, government agencies, philanthropists, and youth with lived experience to design coordinated community systems that both reduce the number of youth experiencing homelessness and effectively respond to youth homelessness when it occurs.As the national operator for the Runaway and Homeless Youth Training and Technical Assistance Center, Youth Collaboratory strengthens the capacity of organizations to meet the immediate needs of runaway and homeless youth and assist them with a successful path to adulthood and self-sufficiency.

Preventing and Addressing Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking: Human sex trafficking is an issue that impacts communities across the world. In the USA alone, it is estimated that 100,000 to 300,000 youth are at risk for commercial sexual exploitation and domestic sex trafficking (CSE/DST) each year. In response to this epidemic, Youth Collaboratory enhances the capacity of organizations to prevent and address sexual exploitation and domestic sex trafficking of minors. We utilize a comprehensive continuum of integrated training, technical assistance (T&TA), and support that was carefully designed in response to the key obstacles programs face in preventing and addressing exploitation and trafficking.This includes strengthening resources focused on vulnerable communities and sub-populations who are disproportionately impacted, including Black girls. In active collaboration with young people with lived expertise, Youth Collaboratory provides direct support to community-based agencies; creates tools and resources for the field that are disseminated nationally; and facilitates a Learning Collaborative that centers on Black girls and is grounded in equity.

Building Community: Several Individual, social, and environmental risk factors increase the likelihood that young people are at risk of victimization, delinquency, or involvement in the juvenile justice system. Youth Collaboratory supports organizations in utilizing evidence-based community building practices to reduce these risk factors and increase protective factors that build resiliency. This includes leveraging formal and informal mentoring relationships to broaden connections to other networks, supports, and opportunities for young people. Grounded in evidence-based practice, Youth Collaboratory created the Mentoring+ program model. Organizations using the Mentoring+ model have experienced several promising outcomes, including: 100% of mentees at high risk for involvement in the juvenile justice system have not offended or re-offended, 97% of mentors maintained a relationship with a mentee for at least a year, and 75% of mentees demonstrated increased social competence. Through this work, Youth Collaboratory has supported programs in 37 states who serve more than 160,000 youth and families annually.