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FROM STAFF REPORTS

ALABASTER – Family Connection, Inc., a non-profit organization that has been providing services to youth and families for 48 years, is celebrating Youth HOPE Month by announcing an updated brand and a new vision and strategic plan for the future of services to runaway, homeless, and youth in crisis in Alabama.

November is Youth (HOPE) Month, formerly known as National Runaway Prevention Month (NRPM), a public campaign to raise awareness of the runaway and homeless youth crisis and the issues that these young people face, and to educate the public about solutions and the role they can play in runaway prevention and ending youth homelessness.

The HOPE in Youth HOPE Month stands for homelessness, outreach, prevention, and education.

The organization’s Board of Directors and Executive Director, Jennifer Ellison, who took over leadership of the organization in January of 2024, have set a bold vision for the organization that includes increasing and expanding shelter, safety, and counseling services throughout central Alabama.

Family Connection currently operates the only runaway/homeless center for youth ages 12-17 in central Alabama. The center provides emergency shelter, access to basic necessities such as food and clothing, counseling, case management, and other support services and is the only local recipient of Basic Center grant funding from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Administration for Children and Families Family & Youth Services Bureau.

The 18-bed facility in Alabaster also serves as the home of a short-term residential program for youth who are in the midst of crisis. The goal of these programs is to reunite families when possible and to stabilize the lives of young people to keep them safe. Family Connection is also the local administrator of Safe Place, a national crisis prevention program that connects youth in crisis to immediate help and safety.

Family Connection also operates the Project HOPE Outreach Center in downtown Birmingham, a facility that serves runaway, homeless, and street youth ages 12-21 through street outreach services also funded by a HHS Family and Youth Services Street Outreach grant, as well as drop-in day shelter services that include access to food, shelter, laundry and shower facilities, clothing, case management and counseling, medical care, and transportation.

As part of its homelessness prevention, in 2024 Family Connection will have distributed over 2,000 survival aid packets to youth throughout Jefferson and Shelby counties.

Family Connection offers counseling services for youth and families, including the Therapeutic Outreach Prevention Program, which offers individual and family counseling in school, shelter, and community-based settings.

Among the many plans in the organization’s new strategic plan are increased counseling services to youth and families to deal with family disruption and conflict, crisis situations, and other issues that impact the mental health and well-being of young people, including bullying, anxiety, depression, grief, academic problems, body image and self-esteem, and peer pressure.

“Crisis intervention plays such an important role in supporting young people through difficult times,” Jennifer Ellison said. “As a parent, I have experienced first-hand some of the challenges that young people face today, and the impact that these challenges have on them and their families, especially if they are not addressed. Unfortunately, sometimes this can lead to youth becoming runaway and experiencing homelessness, which is why outreach to at-risk youth, the prevention of crises, and educating the community on the challenges faced by young people is so important.”

Family Connection is a United Way agency and partners with organizations, including schools, juvenile court, DHR, law enforcement, and other youth serving organizations and providers to ensure that young people are aware of the resources and supports available to them.

Family Connection estimates it will serve over 250 youth and families by the end of 2024 and, with the planned expansion of programs and services an estimated 350 in 2025.

“We cannot do this alone – as we celebrate Youth HOPE month, we encourage all of our partners, supporters, and community members to unite to give stability, security, and opportunity for every young person in need,” Ellison said.

More information can be found about Family Connection online at www.familyconnection-inc.org or by calling (205) 663-6301.

Youth Homelessness Statistics:

• Approximately 4.2 million youth (ages 13-25) experience some form of homelessness in the U.S. each year, with marginalized groups such as Black, LGBTQIA2S+, and unmarried/parenting youth facing higher rates. One in ten adults ages 18 – 25 and one in thirty youth ages 13 – 17 will experience homelessness each year.
• Most youth do not become homeless by choice. The causes are complex and not due to a single incident or issue. Certain risk factors can increase a young person’s chances of experiencing homelessness.
• Many different factors contribute to the youth experiencing homelessness, including poverty, gaps in foster care, lack of affordable housing, and racial discrimination.
• Youth experiencing homelessness are at greater risk of physical, mental, and emotional illness, assault, and suicide.
• The National Network for Youth estimates that 20% of runaway and homeless youth are survivors of human trafficking.
• According to the National Center for Homeless Education, in 2021-2022 there were 685 unaccompanied homeless youth enrolled in Alabama public schools.
• In 2023 there were 416 crisis contact calls from youth to the National Runaway Safeline. The reported causes of these calls were family dynamics, emotional/verbal abuse, physical abuse/assault, having run away or contemplation of running away, and homelessness.