Our partnership with the San Francisco Young Adult Court (YAC), which began this summer, will help even more young people transcend homelessness in the years ahead. Founded on studies suggesting that young adults’ brains are not fully developed (and therefore they may not understand the impact committing a crime will have on themselves or others), the City of San Francisco launched the Young Adult Court in 2015 for young defendants facing non-violent felonies.
Larkin Street works with the Young Adult Court to provide jobs and supportive housing for young people in the YAC system as well as intensive case management and wrap-around services through our broader continuum of care. We plan to expand the number of young people we serve through this program in the months ahead.
These types of interventions are integral to stopping cycles of incarceration and recidivism – 84% of young adults released from prison will be rearrested within five years. Few with felony convictions will be able to find jobs. When alternatives such as the Young Adult Court are available for those facing non-violent felonies, outcomes improve significantly.
