On October 16, 2019, Steadfast hosted a Frederick Youth Homelessness Roundtable, an Open Exchange of Ideas.  In order to explore how the youth are served, Steadfast invited representatives from a wide variety of service providers, organizations, and groups who are concerned with the issues faced by unaccompanied homeless youth in Frederick.

The panel for the discussion was comprised of representatives from – the Housing Authority of the City of Frederick,  Frederick County Public Schools (Mental Health Coordinator and Homeless Education Program Administrator) , Student Homeless Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) non profit, Frederick County Office for Children and Families, and Family Partnership of Frederick County.  Participants included several other Frederick County and State agencies as well as non profits. The discussion was organized around the Core Outcomes documented by the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness;  Stable housing, Permanent Connections, Education/Employment and Social-Emotional Well-being.

The roundtable provided a great opportunity for organizations in Frederick County to come together in a collaborative atmosphere to discuss issues and provide insight into resources that support, or could potentially support, the unaccompanied youth homeless population. Additionally, the discussion brought out areas where there may be a lack or gap in resources. It was clear our community has a unified passion around helping these youth and working toward resolving their unique issues. “I think, as well as many of participants would agree, that the roundtable was a great success and we touched on many key issues with youth homelessness and what we can provide going forward in conjunction with other organizations” stated Cindy Morgan, Executive Director of Steadfast.  ” Mostly we are all affecting change for our youth and together we can make a difference in our community.”