ITEM PHOTO BY OWEN O’ROURKE
Surveyors of the homeless poll Kim Graham, Director of Client Services for Lynn Shelter, left, and Artia Harris, Intake Specialist for Bridgewell, discuss their next move at my Brothers Table in Lynn.
BY DILLON DURST
LYNN — Karen Byron is working to end homelessness among the city’s young people.
Byron, a consultant for the Lynn Continuum of Care, a group of nonprofits whose mission is to find housing for the displaced, is conducting a Youth Count Housing and Homeless survey. The purpose of the study is to learn how many homeless young people are in the state.
Lynn recently reached “functional zero” among veterans, which means the city never has more homeless than it has proven it can house in an average month. Byron hopes the city’s homeless youth population is next.
Byron said Massachusetts is the first state to conduct a homeless youth count, and that this month’s survey marks the third time Lynn has done it.
The poll, administered by the Massachusetts Special Commission on Unaccompanied Homeless Youth and the Lynn Continuum of Care, contains 29 questions. It asks where the person slept the previous night, if they have a safe place to stay, and if they’ve ever been in foster care, among other things. The survey also asks if they’ve ever left home and been out on their own, and the reasons, such as a fight with parents, drug addiction or death of a parent.
Kim Graham, director of client services at the Lynn Shelter, said the study’s goal is to find as many homeless young adults as possible, in order to receive more funding to provide them with housing.
While the 18-24 crowd was sparse at My Brother’s Table for lunch on Monday, Graham was there to spread the word about the survey in hopes that it will eventually reach the city’s homeless young adults.
She said that while many homeless adults are aware of their situation, some might not realize they’re actually homeless by definition. Graham said they could be sleeping on a friend’s couch, for instance, and might not consider themselves homeless because they have a temporary place to stay.
She said the inquiry will identify those types of unstable situations, among others.
The data will support policy reform and offer better services for young people who are homeless.
Last year, 216 surveys were received. Fifty-nine people ages 17 and under self-identified as homeless. Another 33 said their housing situation was insecure and were deemed homeless. Fourteen said they had a home but were previously homeless.
Byron said a broader goal of the survey is to help young people transition to being a young adult, and then, hopefully, a fully-engaged adult. She said the process has been difficult because of the opioid problem, and noted that drug abuse is a high hurdle to clear when trying to equip young adults with life skills.
“I really, really believe in this,” Byron said.
The survey will conclude Sunday, May 15.
Dillon Durst can be reached at ddurst@itemlive.com.