PURPOSE

The San Diego Youth Homelessness Consortium (SDYHC) is a collaborative entity designed to increase the effectiveness of the service delivery system in San Diego County for youth experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness. We accomplish this through the sharing of resources, coordination of efforts around the Coordinated Community Plan, and advocacy around the following efforts:

• Informing and advancing the creation and maintenance of a youth-focused coordinated continuum of services.
• Building capacity around the network of providers.
• Coordinating knowledge and leveraging resources through collaboration.
• Amplifying and integrating youth voices.
• Increasing youth-focused housing options with a bridge to adulthood (i.e. stability, self-sufficiency, wellness).
• Creating a network of preventive supportive services for youth at risk of experiencing homelessness.
• Using quality data to drive decision-making.
• Opening doors to self-sufficiency through education, employment, and entrepreneurialism.
• Supporting well-being and permanent connections for youth.

VISION

Youth homelessness will decrease in San Diego County, and any housing instability faced by young people will be brief and non-recurring through our collective service efforts.

MISSION

The mission of the SDYHC is to prevent and end youth homelessness in San Diego County by creating a multi-disciplinary, community-wide system, in alignment with San Diego’s Coordinated Community Plan (CCP), to serve youth ages 24 and under.

VALUES

• Integrity: We demonstrate honesty, transparency, and fairness in everything we do as a Consortium.
• Respect: We treat each other with mutual consideration and sensitivity, recognizing the importance of diversity and inclusion.
• Innovation: We seek new approaches, capitalize on opportunities, and amplify the impact of initiatives
• Inclusion and Access: We commit that all systems will be inclusive, in that all programs and services will be accessible and responsive to youth, parents, and caregivers with varying abilities, cultures, races, colors, languages, socioeconomic status, sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expressions, and religious backgrounds.
• Equity: We intentionally seek to reduce barriers to fair treatment, access, and opportunity for youth experiencing homelessness in our region.
• Collaboration: We work together through our Values to accomplish our Mission, Vision, and Purpose.

2021-2022 PRIORITIES

1. Implement: Continue to develop the capacity and infrastructure of the SDYHC to meet the mission and vision of the consortium.
   1. The Steering Committee includes representation of youth with lived experience, all county regions, and special populations. Expand the Steering Committee to include unaffiliated youth representation.
   2. Expand the General Membership to the SDYHC to include 60 members by the end of 2022, with a special focus on unrepresented sectors such as juvenile justice, immigrants, and refugees.
   3. Maintain the SDYHC website with meaningful information that is useful for the community.
2. Advocate & Influence: Influence and inform decisions to increase housing options, resources, and support services that address critical needs for youth experiencing housing instability in San Diego County.
   1. Provide feedback on the development of the youth coordinated entry system.
   2. Provide feedback on the direction of funding awarded to the San Diego region (HEAP, YHDP, HOY, HHAP) particularly with regard to funding alignment with the CCP. 
   3. Work collaboratively when applying for funding to maximize the opportunity for housing options and resources for youth experiencing housing instability.
   4. Provide leadership and oversight of youth homelessness events such as the RHY Walk & Rally and the youth-focused Point in Time Count.
3. Capacity Building: Utilize evidence-based practices and other data-informed practices to increase the knowledge-base of both youth and adult providers to include increased cultural humility.
   1. Include helpful resources and data on the website.
   2. Provide cultural humility training to both adult and youth providers.
   3. Provide youth-specific training to adult providers.
   4. Provide information, training, and resources to agencies around the CCP for San Diego.

2021-2022 STEERING COMMITTEE

David Baker
Youth Systems Director
YMCA Youth & Family Services
Pronouns: he/him

Beth Davenport, DSW, LCSW, MBA - (Co-Chair)
Chief Operating Officer
San Diego LGBT Community Center
Pronouns: she/her

Kat DeProfio
SDYHC Program Manager
Pronouns: they/them

Krysta Esquivel, MSW
Vice President of Social Services
YMCA Youth & Family Services
Pronouns: she/her

Stacey Musso, LMFT
Department Director
South Bay Community Services
Pronouns: she/her

Laura Tancredi-Baese, LCSW
Chief Executive Officer
Home Start, Inc.
Pronouns: she/her

Susie Terry, MPH - (Co-Chair)
Coordinator, Homeless LiaisonFoster Youth & Homeless Education Services
San Diego County Office of Education
Pronouns: she/her

Haley Veniegas, MA
Director of Services
San Diego Youth Services
Pronouns: she/her