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AHO
Marin's Homeless Crisis: A Local Nonprofit Responds
In 4 years, the numbers of homeless youth ages 18 to 25 have increased nationally from 600,000 to 4.2 million according to February’s 2018 University of Chicago’s Chapin Hall research.
Marin’s HUD PIT count has reported there are 1,500 homeless youth who represent 28% of Marin’s homeless population. However, according to Karen Allen, MCOE Program Manager of Education Services for Homeless and Foster Youth, along with the California Department of Education (CDE), the actual numbers are 3 times higher than reported by any HUD count. And, are actually, closer to 4,500 youth than 1,500.
Why the discrepancy?
First of all, the PIT HUD count required by the government every 2 years for each County, only touches the tip of the iceberg of this issue and leaves the community misinformed about the breadth of the homeless in Marin, especially youth. Teens and young adults of this age are the hardest to reach homeless population because of their developmental age, and their fear of being judged and controlled by adults, if they reach out for help.
Stanford Research reports that if youth are not connected to support by age 25, they are 50% more likely to end up chronically homeless or incarcerated. And yet, Marin County’s 10-year homeless plan does not include youth at all, and thereby increasing the numbers.
Ambassadors of Hope and Opportunity (AHO) nonprofit has been addressing this gap in understanding and the needs of homeless youth for the past 15 years. AHO catches youth before they end up chronically homeless or incarcerated with a successful, community-youth driven and preventative program model.
AHO accomplishes this through its 120+member Alliance for Youth volunteer service partner network of professionals, businesses, faith communities, organizations that donate their time, expertise and resources to become part of the solution to this crisis.
The Alliance includes, but is not limited to; dentists, ophthalmologists, surgeons, IT professionals, graphic designers, host families, CPA’s and many others. AHO has created a community of caring individuals coming together to make a difference in a way that is lasting.
A recent example begins with Herman Vanderberg, Marin’s BNG networking group’s visionary leader and principal at AXXUS Financial Services, who heard about the growing crisis at his weekly Marin Sunrise Rotary. At this meeting, Zara Babitzke, MA, AHO nonprofit Founder and Executive Director, shared the crisis of homeless youth in Marin and Juliana, age 25, a homeless youth served by AHO shared her story of living under the 101 freeway at the Roland exit before finding AHO. With only 21 units to complete for her Bachelor’s Degree, Juliana is now a leader on the AHO Youth Team with a future goal of entering the Police Academy to work as a Chaplin with homeless youth.
After hearing about this crisis at his Rotary club, Herman, was inspired to take immediate action. He quickly scheduled AHO to speak to his weekly BNG-Marin group who were looking to support, in a meaningful, long-term way, a nonprofit that was successfully making a difference in changing lives and building youth leaders to address this crisis.
Herman’s BNG team enthusiastically adopted AHO and offered immediate support from the talented business owners and professionals at BNG. They joined AHO’s 120+ member Alliance for Youth service partner network of pro bono business and professional support.
In less than one month, BNG graphic designer Mette of Nordic Graphic Design, donated her expertise for AHO’s Winter Newsletter and the invitation for AHO 15 Year Anniversary Celebration set for November 10th 2019. Peter Gray, of Global Gray Matter, donated a laptop computer to Jesus, the AHO homeless youth who spoke. The BNG group also made a financial investment of $2,000 that will serve to adopt one AHO youth for up to 5 years with everything a parent would typically provide including housing, college applications, dental, trauma counseling, cell phones, eye exams and glasses, leadership opportunities, P.O. box, peer and adult mentors and much more.
AHO youth and Board are deeply grateful to Herman Vanderberg, and BNG-Marin, for their foresight in adopting AHO as their community project.
With the County not including youth in their 10-year plan to end homelessness, and the government’s ongoing shutdown unable to handle the growing crisis of our youth in a proactive way, it’s up to all of us in our community to give of our talents to turn the crisis around.
Join AHO’s unique Alliance for Youth professional volunteer service network that is
changing lives and building youth leaders by offering your services and expertise and/or
adopting an AHO youth.
To schedule a speaking engagement for your group Call Zara @ 415-203-0369 or email her @
zarab@comcast.net to book a presentation for your group, and/or learn more about AHO’s
Alliance for Youth partner network.
MORE ABOUT AHO
Ambassadors of Hope and Opportunity (AHO) is the only non-profit in Marin County that provides a comprehensive safety net of services, including stable housing, guidance with a life coach and community connections for young adults ages 16 to 25 who are homeless or at-risk of being homeless. AHO is a preventative model that includes previously marginalized youth and the community in the solution. AHO has served over 2,525 Marin County homeless young adults in the past 15 years. Ambassadors of Hope and Opportunity is on the forefront of a growing, previously under-documented trend of homelessness among this age group with a successful model that other communities are seeking to embody that include Joshua Tree and Truckee, California and Melbourne, Australia.
The mission of Ambassadors of Hope and Opportunity is to provide a “safety net” of stable housing, guidance and community connections for previously abused, abandoned and/or neglected Marin County young adults, ages 16 to 25, who are not supported through the funding streams for foster youth, juvenile services or mentally ill youth.