The New Jersey Kiwanis District Project on Youth Homelessness
The New Jersey Kiwanis District Project on Youth Homelessness is an initiative focused on addressing the challenges faced by homeless youth in New Jersey. The project aims to create awareness of these issues and provide support to organizations that are actively working to combat youth homelessness.
For the first stages of the project, the New Jersey Kiwanis District Project Committee identified youth homelessness as a serious concern in New Jersey, and that shelter, support, and other vital social services to this vulnerable population are often underfunded, and the needs of the unhoused youth in our communities are often overlooked by society. Throughout the last three years, the New Jersey Kiwanis District Project Committee also identified and worked with organizations around the state of New Jersey that address these concerns and have guided the committee to identify causes in addition to LGBTQIA+ issues. Clubs of the New Jersey District of Kiwanis International reported their hours of partnering and funds donated towards the cumulative goal of 2000 hours of service and $20,000 in funds donated for Youth Homelessness around the state of New Jersey to throughout the 2022-2024 service years
In response to this, the New Jersey District of Kiwanis adopted a District Project to serve unhoused youth through Kiwanis Clubs, cumulatively contributing $20,000.00 in funds donated to and completing 2000 hours of community service with agencies serving unhoused youth throughout New Jersey for the 2024 to 2026 Service Years. Along with those goals, The New Jersey Kiwanis Foundation has made a substantial commitment to expand the project’s impact in local communities by providing up to $45,000 in matching and capital improvement grants to youth homeless shelters throughout the state for the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 service years. Clubs can apply for matching grants up to $250.00 each. They can be applied for twice per service year starting October 1st, 2024 through September 30th, 2026.
Factors Leading to Youth Homelessness:
Systemic issues: Due to a lack of affordable, safe, and stable housing, youth may spend time in unstable temporary housing options, including family shelters, before becoming unaccompanied. Youths experience unstable foster care placements or are discharged from foster care due to age. The historical and current impact of racism has limited the access to affordable housing and living wage employment for people of color. Gentrification of urban areas has increased housing costs beyond the means of poor families.
Family issues: Youth may leave home after years of physical and sexual abuse, parental neglect, strained relationships, addiction of a family member; family inability to provide for the youth’s specific mental health or disability needs. Family intolerance about sexual orientation or gender identity may result in a young person leaving or being told to leave.
Economic issues: Families suffer financial crises that lead to separation from the family: A youth choosing to or asked to leave the family as a response to overcrowding and long term experiences of family poverty that make it difficult for families and youth to rise out of poverty.
Why is there a need?
1 in 10 young people ages 18-25 experience a form of homelessness over a 12-month period.
There are 3,500,000 homeless young adults in the United States.
1 in 30 young people ages 13-17 experience a form of homelessness over a 12-month period.
There are 700,000 homeless adolescents in the United States.
According to the National Academy of Medicine, youth who are on the street or not stably housed are at particular risk of domestic human trafficking.
Homeless Youth in New Jersey represented 8.9% of the counted homeless population with 780 persons identified.
Roughly 40 percent of the total youth homeless population is LGBTQ. Compared to 7 percent of the general American youth population, LGBTQ youth are over-represented in the homeless population. They are 120 percent more likely to experience homelessness than their non-LGBTQ peers. And, more than one in four were thrown out of their homes.
What can Kiwanis Clubs do in their local communities to help these at-risk children?
Clubs are encouraged to use the NJ Kiwanis District Project Resources Guide to see which Youth Homeless Shelters are in your area. We have provided the addresses of many shelters throughout New Jersey as well as the contact person for those shelters. Contact them to see if you can either set up a site visit or if they have a representative that would be willing to come speak to your members at a club meeting. To access the Resource Guide, please click on the following link:
Volunteering to help at the site, whether it be with site cleanup or maintenance
Cook a meal to be served at the site
Set up a collection of items that the site needs
Make a monetary donation to the site
Purchase a gift card and donate it to those in need at the site
After volunteering with a site, make sure that your club secretary documents your service hours and donation amounts on the monthly report form
Clubs can also apply for matching grants up to $250.00 each from the New Jersey Kiwanis Foundation. The grants are for the purpose of helping at-risk, unhoused youth in our communities, and clubs are encouraged to work with local organizations around the state of New Jersey that address these concerns. The grants can be applied for twice per service year starting October 1st, 2024 through September 30th, 2026. To apply for a NJ Kiwanis District Project on Youth Homelessness matching grant for up to $250, please visit the following link for our grant application form:
The New Jersey Kiwanis District Project on Youth Homelessness
The New Jersey Kiwanis District Project on Youth Homelessness is an initiative focused on addressing the challenges faced by homeless youth in New Jersey. The project aims to create awareness of these issues and provide support to organizations that are actively working to combat youth homelessness.
For the first stages of the project, the New Jersey Kiwanis District Project Committee identified youth homelessness as a serious concern in New Jersey, and that shelter, support, and other vital social services to this vulnerable population are often underfunded, and the needs of the unhoused youth in our communities are often overlooked by society. Throughout the last three years, the New Jersey Kiwanis District Project Committee also identified and worked with organizations around the state of New Jersey that address these concerns and have guided the committee to identify causes in addition to LGBTQIA+ issues. Clubs of the New Jersey District of Kiwanis International reported their hours of partnering and funds donated towards the cumulative goal of 2000 hours of service and $20,000 in funds donated for Youth Homelessness around the state of New Jersey to throughout the 2022-2024 service years
In response to this, the New Jersey District of Kiwanis adopted a District Project to serve unhoused youth through Kiwanis Clubs, cumulatively contributing $20,000.00 in funds donated to and completing 2000 hours of community service with agencies serving unhoused youth throughout New Jersey for the 2024 to 2026 Service Years. Along with those goals, The New Jersey Kiwanis Foundation has made a substantial commitment to expand the project’s impact in local communities by providing up to $45,000 in matching and capital improvement grants to youth homeless shelters throughout the state for the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 service years. Clubs can apply for matching grants up to $250.00 each. They can be applied for twice per service year starting October 1st, 2024 through September 30th, 2026.
Factors Leading to Youth Homelessness:
Systemic issues: Due to a lack of affordable, safe, and stable housing, youth may spend time in unstable temporary housing options, including family shelters, before becoming unaccompanied. Youths experience unstable foster care placements or are discharged from foster care due to age. The historical and current impact of racism has limited the access to affordable housing and living wage employment for people of color. Gentrification of urban areas has increased housing costs beyond the means of poor families.
Family issues: Youth may leave home after years of physical and sexual abuse, parental neglect, strained relationships, addiction of a family member; family inability to provide for the youth’s specific mental health or disability needs. Family intolerance about sexual orientation or gender identity may result in a young person leaving or being told to leave.
Economic issues: Families suffer financial crises that lead to separation from the family: A youth choosing to or asked to leave the family as a response to overcrowding and long term experiences of family poverty that make it difficult for families and youth to rise out of poverty.
Why is there a need?
What can Kiwanis Clubs do in their local communities to help these at-risk children?
Clubs are encouraged to use the NJ Kiwanis District Project Resources Guide to see which Youth Homeless Shelters are in your area. We have provided the addresses of many shelters throughout New Jersey as well as the contact person for those shelters. Contact them to see if you can either set up a site visit or if they have a representative that would be willing to come speak to your members at a club meeting. To access the Resource Guide, please click on the following link:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/19Pa3XdA8YRa57jbM3-nsBSoIH19DDhae?usp=drive_link
Kiwanis Clubs can also help by:
Clubs can also apply for matching grants up to $250.00 each from the New Jersey Kiwanis Foundation. The grants are for the purpose of helping at-risk, unhoused youth in our communities, and clubs are encouraged to work with local organizations around the state of New Jersey that address these concerns. The grants can be applied for twice per service year starting October 1st, 2024 through September 30th, 2026. To apply for a NJ Kiwanis District Project on Youth Homelessness matching grant for up to $250, please visit the following link for our grant application form:
https://forms.gle/mEQWMZjsJAv78Vf38