GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A Grand Rapids organization that works with homeless youth plans to expand a program that gives them cash with no strings attached.
AYA Youth Collective was one of ten agencies throughout the country to receive funding from Point Source Youth for a direct cash transfer (DCT) project.
DCTs provide money to people without any stipulations.
“We understand that’s really hard for some people to kind of grasp,” said Li Kaplan, a housing specialist at AYA Youth Collective. “Why would we want to give an 18-year-old potentially thousands of dollars?”
Last fall, AYA piloted a DCT program.
According to Kaplan, 14 youths ages 18 to 24 years old were given anywhere from $200 to $4,000 with the hope that they used it to obtain and maintain a safe place to stay.
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“They want stability,” said Kaplan. “It’s just the matter of not having the resources to get there and not having the confidence to be able to ask for those resources or stick with it.”
She added, “Basically all the it takes is for a youth to apply, say, ‘This is a need I’ve identified. This is how much I need to be able to put me somewhere I feel stable and secure.’”
Four participants moved into housing within weeks and two others avoided eviction due to the crash.
Although small, Kaplan calls the results a success.
She says, while many organizations in Kent County offer assistance, their programs sometimes include requirements that can be a barrier for a homeless youth, like requiring a driver’s license to apply.
“We talk to youth experiencing homelessness and we tell them that they’re the experts in their own lives,” said Kaplan. “We need to honor that and we honor that by providing them with resources in this manner.”
With the funding from Point Source Youth, AYA intends to help ten additional youth. People may re-apply for the money too.
Kaplan hopes the unconventional approach leads to better outcomes for the youth who apply.
“We’re humanizing them,” said Kaplan. “We’re putting a name to all of these awards, these are real people that we work with on a daily basis. We’re empowering them.”
