Our Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program
Redefining the Lives of Young Adults in Greater Nashua
What is the definition of homelessness? Is it as simple as the state of living on the street or in a car? Or as complex as having no choice. but to stay with friends or even strangers?
Homelessness can have many faces, and for a staggering number of young people living in Greater Nashua, they learn this firsthand.
What is the YHDP?
Our Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) aims to help young adults aged 18-24 living in situations of homelessness in Greater Nashua. By providing safe, communal, short-term living, youth are given the resources they need to get back on their feet and onto a path of success. Outside of Transitional Housing and Rapid Rehousing, assistive services such as case management, phone payments, bill coverage, and grocery funds are provided to other in crisis youth in the community who are struggling to maintain their housing situation.
What Need is the YHDP Targeting? How Did the YHDP Come to Be?
According to the 2024 annual report produced by the New Hampshire Coalition to End Homelessness, “the number of youth (ages 18-24) experiencing homelessness has nearly doubled since 2019, increasing by 87.4%”. Only with programs that have targeted this demographic of homeless individuals has the state of New Hampshire begun to document these numbers and discover the widespread crisis of youth in the community.
The idea for the YHDP came from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. They noticed the rising number of youth and young adults living in situations of homelessness in Greater Nashua and reached out to various non-profits to address this overlooked issue. We were recognized as a leading organization in supporting this demographic and was invited to provide their expertise. Through collaboration and multiple sources of generous grant funding, the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program was then born.
What Does the YHDP Do For Youth Needing Transitional Housing?
When looking across state programs, the YHDP is already creating an impact. The structure of Transitional Housing in the program not only guarantees a safe, stable place to live, but provides groundwork for success after the completion of the program. But what exactly does becoming a participant of the Transitional Housing portion of the YHDP mean? This is the breakdown:
Short-Term Housing
- We provide a safe place to stay for 3–8 months while youth get back on their feet
Help Finding Future Living
- We help move participating youth into affordable housing and will support them for up to 2 years afterwards
Support Services Beyond Housing Include:
- Financial literacy & “Ready to Rent” program
- Health & recovery referrals
- Peer support
- Opportunities for higher education & job skill training
These services and opportunities were put together with the goal of arming young adults with skills and tools to craft a better future through a judgement free, supportive network. We don’t just strive to create temporary living situations for youth but puts in motion of chain of events that leads to long-term positive change in their lives.
Lex – A YHDP Success Story
Lex stayed with friends as long as they were welcome and spent their time continuously moving from couch to couch and home to home as they were unable to afford a place of their own due to a lack of family support and high rental prices. Even while working full time, their lack of reliable transportation and unstable living situation made it impossible to move forward. Lex connected with FDA for several months before officially starting YHDP. Since joining the program, Lex has had multiple promotions at work and is on their way to earning their driver license. We were also able to connect them with our community partners, MyTURN, so that they are able to take some time to assess what they want to do for a long-term, sustainable career, ensuring that they will cultivate success.
Currently, there are 7 youth enrolled and living in the our Transitional Living Program and 6 youth living, independently, in their Rapid Re-Housing Program. The youth in these programs come from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences, and each have inspiring ideas about where they might want to go on their journey in life. We hope that these assistive housing opportunities give them the stability to truly chase their dreams and goals.
As it’s often said, the youth are our future. A future that the we, at the Front Door, are determined to make bright.
