San Francisco’s legislators will be making key decisions about the City’s budget priorities, and we need your help to ensure our collective voices are heard! On Monday, August 24, the Board of Supervisors will hear public comment on the budget and appropriations. You can take part by tuning in, click here. OR take a moment now to email and tweet the Board of Supervisors to include and expand services for young people experiencing homelessness.
Key message points:
- Include youth in the homeless recovery plan.
- Young people experiencing homelessness need more housing, workforce, and behavioral health supports than ever before.
- Investing in youth works! Youth homelessness has decreased by 20% in the last four years, thanks to your support and increased City investment.
Young people—especially young people of color and those who identify as LGBTQ+—must not be left behind as the City makes its budget decisions. With your help, we can end youth homelessness!
What you can do – email and/or tweet the Board of Supervisors
Sample Tweet:
Please don’t leave youth out of the homeless recovery plan and expand housing, workforce, and behavioral health services for young people experiencing homelessness @sandraleefewer @shamannwalton @rafaelmandelman @normanyeesf @MattHaneySF.
Sample Email:
Send to: Sandra.Fewer@sfgov.org; mandelmanstaff@sfgov.org; Shamann.Walton@sfgov.org: Matt.Haney@sfgov.org; Norman.Yee@sfgov.org
Subject line: Include youth in the homeless recovery plan
Body: I urge you to prioritize young people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco’s budget.
Please make youth a priority in the homeless recovery plan and ensure that young people have access to more housing, workforce, and behavioral health support than ever before. These direct funds provide critical and lifesaving resources to ensure that these young people, who are disproportionally youth of color and/or LGBTQ+, have the support they need to recover from the health and economic impacts of one of the most significant pandemics in our lifetimes.
Investing in young people works. Through increased funding over the last four years, youth homelessness has decreased by 20%. We cannot merely sustain support; we must expand to keep the momentum going.
Additionally, with 50% of adults experiencing homelessness in San Francisco having their first experience of homelessness before the age of 25, ending youth homelessness is not only the right thing to do, but our best strategy for ending the cycle of homelessness for all. Thank you for ensuring the next generation has the resources needed to thrive!
