PURPOSE

The San Diego Youth Homelessness Consortium 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, and advocacy around the following efforts:

• Informing and advancing the 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).
• Informing and advancing the 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.
• Advocating and informing policy to align with best and emerging practices

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 26 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.

2023-2024 PRIORITIES

1. Implement: Continue to develop and expand 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 2024, 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.
   4. Obtain feedback on homelessness from youth with lived experience to inform regional practices
   5. Update the original Coordinated Community Plan (CCP) with input from community stakeholders, including youth with lived experience, to include:
      1.  Monitoring the implementation of the CCP within San Diego County
      2. Providing ongoing technical assistance for the community in the form of identifying gaps in services for youth, gathering and evaluating data, and facilitating community conversations around youth homelessness.
      3. Providing recommendations of action and change that further align providers and partners with the CCP
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 and recommendations about the successes and challenges of the region's youth coordinated entry system.
   2. Provide feedback and recommendations on the direction of youth-related funding awarded to the San Diego region, particularly concerning 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.
   5. Lead the CCP update process in collaboration with youth and stakeholders, and disseminate the updated plan to the community.
3. Capacity Building: Utilize evidence-based practices, best practices, emerging practices, and other data-informed practices to increase the knowledge base of both youth and adult providers to provide services that are based in cultural humility.
   1. Include helpful resources and data on the website.
   2. Serve as a resource for expert training on youth-specific topics.
   3. Continue to advocate for the collection of complete and accurate youth homelessness data for San Diego County

2023-2024 STEERING COMMITTEE

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

Kristen Carvajal-Witek, LMFT
Director of Housing & Self-Sufficiency for TAY
North County Lifeline
Pronouns: she/her

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

Nick DeVico, MPH
Director of Strategic Youth Initiatives
San Diego workforce Partnership
Pronouns: he/him

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

Victor Hernandez
Senior Program Analyst
Homeless Housing Innovations Division
San Diego Housing Commission
Pronouns: he/him

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

Jessica Rihan
Program Operations Manager
YMCA Youth & Family Services
Pronouns: she/her

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

Susie Terry, MPH - (Co-Chair)
Coordinator, Homeless Liaison Foster 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