Hello SENcorp members,On our last call we discussed the importance of focusing our efforts towards assuring safe exits for young people involved in our programs. Whether you are volunteering at a street outreach center, a temporary shelter, or a transitional living program, we can all do something to help young people make choices that guide them towards a stable and supportive living situation and away from the streets and the many risks associated with living in a unstable environment.
During the late nineties I worked at a teen runaway shelter in Tallahassee, FL. We didn't use the specific language of "Safe Exits" at the time, but we knew the importance of making sure every youth had a plan for discharge from the program. In the event that a young person decided to leave the shelter, and there are many reasons a young person may wish to leave, we tried to mitigate the risks they would face. I called it the Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich solution. It went something like this:
Youth: "I'm out of here, I can't take this place!"
Me: "OK, where are you going to go?"
Youth: "Anywhere but here!"
Me: "Well, you're going to get hungry so why don't we take a few minutes to make some pb and j's for the road, and maybe find you a jacket."
My goal was simply to stall their departure, change the dynamic of the conflict they were experiencing and hopefully convince them to either stay or make an informed decision about leaving. Many youth chose to stay after a sandwich and a glass of milk, but others took their sandwiches out the front door, towards the risk of violence, exposure, substance abuse, and further displacement from a supportive community.
After each of these incidents, we would undertake a review of what brought the youth to such an either/or position and try to adjust our programming so that young people did not feel the need to flee into the night.
Many factors influence whether a youth is discharging your program into a safe or unsafe exit. There are also many interpretations of what safe exit may be.
The home of a family friend where the youth is welcome, but drug use occurs in the home? Safe or unsafe?
If your agency operates a drop-in center, runaway shelter, or transitional living program, then someone in the agency is responsible for entering data into RHYMIS, which stands for Runaway Homeless Youth Management Information System. RHYMIS is a national database that tracks the success and effectiveness of our efforts to help youth and families in need of our services.
If you are an SENcorp member, your assignment is to find this person in your agency, introduce yourself if necessary, and ask them how they record information regarding safe vs. unsafe exits.
Also, please consider the following ideas when working with young people to determine a plan for leaving care-
From the moment a young person makes contact with our programs we are preparing for a successful discharge. A successful discharge experience means the youth is moving closer to, or attaining a place of permanency and safe housing.
Work with each young person to identify realistic, attainable goals that promote positive, lasting changes in their living situation. Some important factors to consider are:
Youth’s abilities- Is the youth able to identify options available to them which may provide them with a safe place to stay and work towards permanence? What current factors in the youth’s circumstances may be interfering with this goal?
Youth’s family and community resources- Is this young person connected to others in the geographic area? Is the youth connected to a church or civic group of any kind?
Program limitations- Given the climate of constant change at temporary emergency shelter programs, will this youth be able to pursue attainable goals? What about TLP? Street Outreach?
Youth’s right to self-determination- Ultimately, we can not force young people to pursue permanency and safe housing. In the event of a spontaneous, unplanned discharge, do your best to leave communication open with the young person and request they contact you when they arrive at their next destination.
After that we will talk more about factors that determine a youth's likelihood of "Making it" in the short and long-term after leaving our programs.
What you do will make all the difference,
John
