0 Shares

Submitted by Community Youth Services

Community Youth Services (CYS) and Homes First announced a new partnership to provide affordable shared homes for low-income youth/young adults ages 18-24. Through this partnership, Homes First is looking to acquire a pre-market sale or donation of single or small multi – family homes that can be dedicated to the youth of CYS’ Young Adult Housing program. Homes First would own the house, with a covenant or deed restriction, renting the home to CYS participants for less than 60% AMI (Average Median Income), making it affordable for the young adults looking to get off the streets and into housing.

Since 1990, Homes First has acquired over 40 properties which provide rental homes to over 225 people in our community. In the last 28 years, they have served well over 4,000 people. Their greatest resource for doing this work comes from building partnerships with other organizations who provide necessary support services so every tenant can successfully remain in a home.

Homes First is partnering with CYS to encourage people who care deeply about the issue of housing for our community’s low-income youth to consider donating their home or selling it, pre-market, to Homes First, whom will ensure that those homes will be used for youth housing in perpetuity.

In this partnership, Homes First would be the owner and manager of the property; CYS would provide the support systems for shared housing. CYS Young Adult Housing (YAH) provides shared living for up to 2 years to individual’s ages 18‒24 and their children. To qualify, participants must be enrolled in CYS YAH. During their stay, participants will engage in case management, address barriers to their success and work towards achieving their independent living goals. This will include completion of their basic education and obtaining employment. Participants will be expected to pay 30% of their income towards rent.

This opportunity will connect homeless young adults with housing, intensive case management, education and employment programs and a variety of other services while they learn to live independently. Most important, CYS YAH is staffed by trained individuals who understand what participants have gone through and will empower them to create their own success as they become self- sufficient.

If you have a home you would like to donate or sell rather than put on the market for up-market development or would like more information, Please contact youth@homesfirst.org for more information.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
0 Shares