Host Home Program for Homeless Youth
1.1 Million of U.S. Students are experiencing homelessness in grades PreK-12, identified by public schools in 2020-2021.
5% of our Carlton County students are homeless each year-that number is growing.
A Host Home is an individual or family that is willing to open their home and provide safe housing to a homeless youth. Please contact us if you would be interested in doing this for our community youth.
Applications can be sent to community@unitedwaycarltoncounty.org
Training Required
Empowering Homeless Youth
With a strong commitment to addressing the challenges these vulnerable individuals face, our program provides comprehensive support and resources to help them regain stability and build a brighter future. Through a combination of aligning resources, providing Host Homes opportunities, and financial support, we are dedicated to breaking the cycle of homelessness and fostering independence.
How We Serve Youth
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Food
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Financial Services
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Clothing
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Emergency Housing Assistance
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Volunteer Tax Assistant
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Help Align Resources
Youth Who Qualify for Support
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Runaway or "throw-away" youth, not in the company of a parent or guardian.
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Living in cars, parks, abandoned buildings, under bridges, etc.
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Having moved homes more than three times a year, couch surfing without a legal parent.
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Living in a public or private place not designed for humans to live or sleep.
Local News Stories:
Questions to Think About
What are the rules of your home?
Think about sharing your living space with a youth you don’t know very well. Think about the rules and expectations that will be important for that person to know (i.e. no phone calls after 10pm). The youth moving in will also have rules of his/her own (i.e. knock before you enter).
What are your expectations of the youth while s/he lives with you?
The Host Home Program is an opportunity for the youth to live in a safe and healthy environment while s/he works on self-determined goals (i.e. attending/finishing high school, getting their GED, securing a job, learning a skill or trade, paying rent). The youth and his/her case manager will develop a plan with clear goals that everyone formally agrees to (the youth, the hosts, the case manager, and the program coordinator).
What is your financial commitment to this youth?
You will be responsible for providing a bedroom, basic needs, and food for the youth for the duration of his/her stay. Expect your utility and grocery bills to go up. Aside from food, basic needs and a safe home, you will not be responsible for other expenses. The case manager and program coordinator will work with you on setting appropriate boundaries around expenses.
Is your living space ready for a young person?
The youth must have his/her own room. The bedroom should be clean when the youth moves in. Ensure your smoke alarms work and you have accessible fire extinguishers. If you have alcohol in the house, it should be kept in a safe place where the youth is less likely to have access to it.
Have you explored (personally or otherwise) issues such as white privilege and racism?
The majority of hosts in existing host home programs are white, whereas some of the homeless youth are of color. If you are white, it is extremely important that you become more aware of race, racism, and white privilege and the implications of living with that privilege. Talking about this will be part of the training.
Would you be open to sharing your home with a Gay, Lesbian, and Bi-sexual, Tran-sexual or Questioning youth?
You would need to get acquainted with LGBTQ youth issues explore your own feelings about sexual orientation and gender identity and learn to be able to talk about and deal with those issues. Even many people who identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual don’t necessarily have much awareness about transgender issues.
Are you willing to put in some time to create a nurturing relationship with a youth?
Developing a trusting relationship with a youth may take some time and hard work. This may require you to be an active participant in that young person’s life (i.e. driving him/her places, helping with schoolwork, meeting with case manager).
Are you capable of living with a youth who may be working through difficult issues?
You need to be conscious that the young people who participate in the host home program will come from all sorts of backgrounds and have lived through all sorts of experiences. Some have been abused, some are in recovery for substance abuse, and some have never had a healthy adult-youth relationship. These issues will also be discussed during the training.