What to Know
- D.C. is starting its Homeless Youth Census Friday night. The census runs through Sept. 24.
- City officials say the census helps D.C. obtain funding and understand what needs to be done to end youth homelessness.
Friday is the start of the D.C. Homeless Youth Census in which teams will take to the streets across the city to find out how many people under the age of 24 are experiencing homelessness.
Last August, the District conducted its first-ever homeless youth count and found about 350 young people had no place to call home and hundreds more had "unstable housing."
"In many cases they are invisible. You don’t see them, so people unfortunately don’t even understand the magnitude of the issue," said Dr. Madye Henson, the CEO of Covenant House Washington. Covenant House Washington is a nonprofit organizationt that helps young people who suffer from homelessness, abuse and neglect.
Many people might picture homeless encampments under the Whitehurst Freeway or the DC General Family Shelter when they think of the city's homeless community.
However, Henson said those are not the places young homeless people typically go and the majority of them are considered "housing insecure," meaning they rely on non-permanent housing situations.
"They’re invisible because they are resourceful. They will be with friends. They will do a couch surfing," Henson said.
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Others are homeless because they are out of the foster care system with no place to go.
"Sleeping on floors, I didn’t have no bed, I’m sleeping on just the floor. No covers no pillows," said 23-year-old Abdul Adams, who became homeless two years ago after being in foster care.
Now, Adams works for Covenant House Washington doing homeless outreach.
"You got to know the streets, pretty much. You got to know who you’re interacting with…Let them know I’ve been through the same thing, what you’re going through," Adams said.
Adams will be one of many people out Friday night helping to count homeless young people.
According to the DC Alliance of Youth Advocates, DCAYA, "the results of the census show us that at any given time there are hundreds of youth moving from couch to couch, and when their options run short, shelter to shelter."
DCAYA says on its website that the $2.3 million Mayor Muriel Bowser and the D.C. Council allocated for homelessness services in the District's 2017 budget can largely be attributed to the use of census data.
Funds will go to prevention services, more crisis beds and transitional and independent living spaces for young homeless people, DCAYA said.
The census also allows the city to track data and trends over time to shed light on what is needed to stem youth homelessness.
If you or someone you know is homeless and 24 years old or younger in D.C., you can participate in the census by visiting this website.
