Housing for transitioning youth

Building support for transition aged youth (TAY)

Top essential themes

Anti-oppressive

• Culturally responsive
• LGTBQ+ support
• Diverse representation

Basic needs

• Meaningful education and employment
• Chosen safe and stable housing
• Access to money and cash

Relationship support

• Couples and family counseling
• Chosen family and friend linkage
• Parenting courses and support

Recovery support

• Health services in one place
• Provider warm-hand-offs and outreach
• Peer support

HCA workgroups

• Workgroup 1: Data
  • Tracking discharges for successful transitions 12-months post Behavioral Health discharge for Transition Age Youth (TAY) ages 15-25
• Workgroup 2: Payment
  • Paying for successful transitions 12-months post Behavioral Health discharge for Transition Age Youth (TAY) ages 15-25
• Workgroup 3 Policy
  • Policies for successful transitions 12-months post Behavioral health discharge for youth ages 15-25
• Workgroup 4 Standards and training
  • Training providers for successful transitions 12-months post Behavioral Health discharge for youth ages 15-25

Strengths of TAY

Transition aged youth have a lot they are proud of. The Safe and Supportive Transition to Stable Housing for Youth Ages 16 to 25 report states that the top three greatest strengths of transition aged youth include:

• Recovery
• Parenting
• Maintaining housing

What happens when TAY are discharged from inpatient treatment?

Three out of four transition aged youth are unstably housed or homeless after leaving an inpatient behavioral health treatment center. Some of the causes of lack of adequate housing include:

• Changing discharge timelines.
• No follow-up referrals with housing services.
• Lack of communication regarding housing services.

Families and providers can help!

Providers can train staff on developmentally appropriate care to ensure that youth and young adults are met where they are. This can be done through more responsive policies, procedures, and interventions. Treating transition age youth appropriately can improve program adherence and overall success.

Transparency and collaboration also important factors to increase positive outcomes. When families and providers utilize TAY driven goal setting this both empowers the young person and ensures that the goals are meaningful and important.

Connection is another vital factor. There are many community resources that youth (and families) may be unaware of. When providers (and families when appropriate) follow up on these vital linkages there is a greater likelihood of successful transition.

Flyers

The following standard size (8.5 x 11) flyers are available for your use.

• What families can do 
• What the community can do
• What you can do if you are experiencing homelessness
• What policy administrators can do

What to know about TAY?

Transition aged youth are people ages 15-25. During this time, they are going through wildly intense changes.

• The prefrontal cortex grows larger, helping them to gain more impulse control and think critically and creatively.
• Their brain is developing solid patterns of thinking. This means that if they engage in positive behaviors that help them, they are more likely to continue to engage in these behaviors. 
• Sociologically, youth are becoming adults. They are getting their first jobs, learning about credit, graduating and enrolling in educational services, and gaining living skills for adulthood.
• Psychologically, these young people can experience more emotionality and impulsivity because of their changing brains and bodies.
• Transition aged youth rely on families and mentors. This is the age where they may experience heart break, confusion, excitement, and triumph in new ways.