HOST's two-generation approach places youth success at the center. Developing effective place-based models that reach youth is critical not only for improving young people, but for ensuring community health and viability.
HOST case managers helped youth find after-school programs, connected youth to resources to help pay for school, supported young people accessing mental health care, and paid for necessities like winter jackets and school uniforms. Services for youth also engaged parents. HOST case managers helped parents advocate for their children in the school system, gaining students individualized education programs and extra help when needed.
T Reach [the Benning Terrace youth program] helped [my daughter] get into a mentoring program. She needed a psychiatrist and…mentor. They helped her a lot.…Today she’s in 11th grade. When she got here, she was two grades behind. Now, she’s working with the police department. They pay her a stipend.
A parent at the Washington, DC, HOST site talks about her daughter’s success