CHD’s Youth Homelessness Programs provide more than just a safe haven. They also connect teens and young adults to community, health, education, and mental health services, as well as follow-up support to put them on a path to independence.

It’s no secret that young people experiencing homelessness, in their everyday efforts to survive, are susceptible to numerous hardships—and even danger—without a parent or guardian to help them. Indeed, whenever Keith Hedlund, CHD program director of Homeless Youth Support & Stabilization, takes youth into one of his programs, he is struck by how vulnerable they are—even the ones seemingly hardened by rough lives.
“Many of these youth have absolutely no community or family supports,” he said. “Some have been traumatized in state systems of care, and once they age out, they want nothing more to do with the supports that may be offered. Others are estranged from their family due to substance use, trauma, or their gender identity or sexuality. They haven’t had time to develop adequate social and community networks to rely on when they need support. By the time they get to us, they have used up all their favors and literally have nowhere else to turn.”
Youth homelessness continues to increase every year, according to federal data. The surge in the number of homeless people of all ages in the past few years has been well-documented by the media—and also by our government. In December, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released its 2024 Annual Homeless Assessment Report, which shows an 18 percent increase in the overall number of people who were in homeless shelters or in a visibly unsheltered situation compared to the previous year. In fact, homelessness is at an all-time high: a total of 771,480 people, which is larger than the population of the city of Boston.
However, the 10 percent increase in the number of homeless unaccompanied youth (under the age of 25) in 2024 stated in the report is particularly alarming because there was already a 15 percent increase in 2023 over 2022. And the number is likely an undercount because there are youth who may live in unstable housing but may not meet the definition of homeless as set by HUD, which doesn’t count situations in which people are “doubling up,” or temporarily staying with others due to a loss of housing—HUD’s definition doesn’t include instances of “couch surfing.”
For certain, Hedlund is seeing an increased demand for his programs’ services, with nearly 50 percent more young adults calling CHD’s housing helpline (413-316-4979) over the past two years. At any one time there are approximately 185 young adults in just Hampden County alone who are on the waiting list for housing and meet the definition of being homeless, according to Hedlund. That’s a 20 percent increase in just one year.
Making matters worse is a shortage of affordable rental apartments and houses available to low-income people. Hampden County simply doesn’t have enough housing units, which has led to dramatic rent hikes in the last few years. “The cost of rents has increased to the point where it is nearly impossible for youth to afford the cost to move into an apartment on their own,” said Hedlund. “Our average rents in the Springfield area are about $1,150 a month for a one-bedroom, and our clients can’t come up with three times that amount for first month’s and last month’s rent and the security deposit. Also, the state shelter system is capped and waitlisted. Before the housing crisis, there was an easier path for youth to be housed in shelter immediately, especially if they had children of their own.”
Outreach, Intervention, and Case Management
There are a variety of reasons why youth become homeless. Many of them are victims of abuse and neglect in their homes and leave those situations, and because a lot of them are not working or doing part-time work, they don’t have the financial resources to maintain housing. “Most of the youth we see are either discharging from state care with the Department of Children & Families (DCF), or they are on bad terms with their own families, so they don’t have the opportunity to get funding from family members to pay for an apartment,” he said. “Many struggle with their mental health, and holding a good job to afford an apartment on their own can be a real challenge.”
The good news is that CHD takes a coordinated approach to assist these youth by using a number of evidence-based programs. All of the efforts offer wraparound casework services, so that youth can connect with community resources to get the additional support they need to find housing. This could take the form of financial support to move them into their own apartment, helping to get documentation—such as an ID or birth certificate, signing them up for income-based housing lists, or advocating for them with family or landlords. CHD’s Children and Families programs also have a close relationship with CHD’s Clinical Division and help youth with getting signed up for therapy and medication providers at one of our behavioral health clinics.
CHD’s shelter models for unhoused youth depends on their demographic. For youth under 18 we have what is called Basic Center, also known as Safety Zone, which is an emergency shelter, similar to a foster home, for up to 21 days. For youth connected to DCF or the state Department of Youth Services, CHD offers Independent Living Programs, where youth are placed into their own scattered site apartments in an outreach model with caseworker support. Our agency uses a similar model for pregnant and parenting youth up to age 22, called Maternity Group Home: CHD pays their lease for 12-18 months while the youth work on employment, child care, or education goals. The objective is for these youth to move into their own permanent housing by the time they discharge. Rapid Rehousing is another scattered site apartment model funded by HUD for homeless youth ages 18-24.

“Our scattered site programs offer the youth one to two years of support,” said Hedlund. “This provides a short breather so the youth can focus on their education, employment, and mental health without being preoccupied with survival out on the streets.”
Isaiah Serna, a youth who went through CHD Rapid Rehousing and now has his own apartment, said his caseworkers “are really amazing—they’re all really great people.” They aided him when he “was in a really dark place,” providing him with job listings and job fair dates to help him get back on his feet, and helped him look for apartments. “They went the extra mile for me,” he said.
Another Rapid Rehousing graduate, Octavia, said CHD “found me an apartment quickly and when I needed it the most. It was a huge relief.” Caseworkers also helped her obtain her driver’s license and a Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) voucher from the HUD program that provides rental assistance to current and former foster youth who have become homeless or who are at risk of homelessness.
Success Stories
To be sure, the goal is not just providing a roof over the youths’ heads, but also “helping plant the seeds for their future,” said Program Supervisor Jean Rogers.
The fact that the overwhelming majority of youth discharging from CHD programs don’t return to homelessness speaks to the effectiveness of our agency’s services. “Our staff do incredible work with our youth and families,” said Hedlund. “It’s rewarding to hear the stories of success from our amazing caseworkers and know that without their work, many of these youth would still be homeless. Our youth come with many challenges, and to get them housed permanently is often a herculean task. The process is never straightforward. When we have success, it feels so gratifying to me to have a career where your work can literally mean the world to someone.”
Like Hedlund, CHD Vice President of Children and Families Alton Jones credits his programs’ many achievements to the dedication of his staff. “I believe that this work from Keith and his team is foundational—they believe in what they are doing to core, and they work tireless hours to ensure better outcomes for the young adults we serve,” he said.
Hedlund finds much inspiration in his job—from the people he works with and from the youth they serve. Many of the individuals they assist have tremendous resilience, even after overwhelming trauma. When filling open positions in his programs, during a job search he and his colleagues often have one of these youths participate on the search committee, helping conduct interviews with staff and contributing to the process of screening and making an offer to a candidate. “The youth take this process very seriously and do a fantastic job with their questions and insights—they think of things we never would,” said Hedlund. “It’s enjoyable to watch this process, particularly when they realize their contributions make a difference. Their confidence really grows. I think this is what CHD is all about: even in small ways, that often go unnoticed by most, we are literally changing lives.”