“Through creative conversations, we’re able to work with youth to figure out solutions for their most immediate needs and help resolve their housing crisis as quickly as possible—so they never have to enter the homelessness system in the first place.”
Asia Smith, youth consultant with Point Source Youth. (James Matthew Daniel)
In 2022, I found myself where no parent wants to be—without a safe place to live with my two young children, an infant and a 3-year-old. Circumstances led me to the city’s entry point into the homelessness system, Prevention Assistance and Temporary Housing Office (PATH). From there, I was bounced around from person to person, having to repeat my situation again and again, all the while waiting until I was found eligible, or “homeless enough,” for housing support. After two and a half months, I was finally assigned a case manager.
I learned quickly that, when navigating the system, I had to be my own best advocate for me and my kids. Appointments with case managers were quick and to the point, without a lot of room for questions or compassion. There’s no breathing room when you are just there to check boxes. It was on me to figure out how to apply for SNAP and healthcare assistance. It was on me to determine how to get my 3-year-old into a preschool program. It was an overwhelming and lonely place to be.
Eventually, my kids and I landed at Henry Street Settlement. And that’s where I learned about a program that could have helped me prevent my situation before it started.
While meeting with Henry Street’s employment support team, I learned that Point Source Youth was looking to hire youth consultants to advise on a new homelessness prevention program. The position immediately appealed to me because the program seemed to ask the question, “How can we help those who are not seen?” I was hired and entered into a community where I felt like I fit in after feeling invisible, or just like a number, for so long.
Point Source Youth worked with youth consultants like me to create a youth homelessness prevention program through lived experience. Along with about a half-dozen other youth consultants across the country, we were able to shape the program by what would have helped us the most when navigating the system. It felt important to me to give young people the opportunity to be heard, because I saw firsthand how a one-sized-fits-all approach leaves people behind or in limbo for far too long.
When young people reach out for housing support, what if we instead asked them, “What do you feel like you need?” or “What will help you the most where you are, right now?” Beyond that, we want to look at solutions to help the young person not only resolve but sustain their housing situation, so they aren’t in the same crisis position month after month.
Through a collaborative process, we built the Targeted Housing Assistance Program, an intervention that works with local service providers to deliver direct cash payments to young people experiencing a housing crisis while working with them on a customized housing plan and budget.
Through creative conversations, we’re able to work with youth to figure out solutions for their most immediate needs and help resolve their housing crisis as quickly as possible—so they never have to enter the homelessness system in the first place. This program pilot launched in seven cities across the country and recently added an eighth program in Los Angeles.
It’s shown promising results and proven life changing for many of the more than 300 youth it has served so far. The stories and solutions are as diverse as the people living them. One young person, who had just graduated college, used the cash to bridge the gap between no longer being on a housing scholarship to getting her first paycheck. Another was able to put the funds toward renovating his family’s basement after it flooded, allowing him to stay.
Across the program, 90 percent of participants reported being stably housed at the 30-day mark.
Finding community through Henry Street and Point Source Youth empowered me with the confidence I needed to move forward after experiencing homelessness and trauma. By working as a youth consultant, I learned how much I enjoy helping people. I’m now in school studying for my Registered Nursing license and have my own place with my two kids.
I want to bring empathy and compassion into my work in healthcare, because I know those things make the world a little brighter for those who need it. It’s been a long journey, and I’m proud to be in a position where I can not only advocate for myself, but for others, too.
New York City estimated that approximately 146,000 students in the public school system—or one in eight kids—experienced homelessness during the 2023-24 school year. This number grows year after year.
At times, I wonder what my life would look like if something like the Targeted Housing Assistance Program existed for me and my kids when we needed it the most. I’m sure it would have helped me get to a better place more quickly, and who knows what that would have meant for my kids.
My wish is we continue to expand this program to support as many young people as possible, so they don’t have to go through the homelessness system at all.
Asia Smith is a youth consultant with Point Source Youth, where she advised the organization and Henry Street Settlement in creation of the Targeted Housing Assistance Program, which helps young people navigating a housing crisis.
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