Do you know where you’ll be sleeping tonight?
How about a few weeks from now, or during your school’s next break?
If you’re a young adult who is couch surfing, staying with friends or bouncing between living situations, you might qualify for homelessness services — even if you don’t think of yourself as homeless.
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Young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 who don’t have a safe and reliable place to stay in Memphis may be able to get assistance through Shelby County’s Youth Navigator Program. Its five navigators work with nonprofits around the city to connect youth with housing options like dorm-style shelters, rental assistance and transitional housing.
Read on for more information on how to get help and what youth-specific resources are available.
How do I contact a youth navigator?
If you need assistance, the first step is to reach out to a youth navigator.
There are five youth navigators in Shelby County. Each works at a different nonprofit in the community, but you can reach out to any of them.
Your navigator will ask questions about your situation to assess your needs and see what services may be the best fit for your situation. They can then connect you with housing resources and other support based on availability and your current needs.
You can contact a navigator by visiting the organization where they work, by phone or email. Here are their organizations and contact information:
Kayden Ritchie
Organization: The Hospitality Hub
Pronouns: He/Him
Phone: 901-730-1736
Email: kayden@hospitalityhub.org
Teresa McClatchey
Organization: Community Schools in Memphis
Pronouns: She/Her
Phone: 901-605-6376
Email: tmcclatchey@cismemphis.org
Joshua Johnson
Organization: SchoolSeed Foundation
Pronouns: He/Him
Phone: 901-501-6203
Email: joshua@schoolseed.org
Stephanie Presley
Organization: Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
Pronouns: She/Her
Phone: 901-661-5969
Email: stephanie.presley@lebonheur.org
Shalonda Adams-Young
Organization: Catholic Charities of West Tennessee
Pronouns: She/Her
Phone: 901-401-2008
Email: shalonda.adamsyoung@ccwtn.org
When I contact a youth navigator, what should I say?
When you contact a navigator, it’s a good idea to clearly state you’re a young person looking for help with housing through the Youth Navigator Program. Here are a few things you might consider including:
- Your current housing situation: Where have you been sleeping? Have you been moving around, or sleeping somewhere not meant for habitation, like a car or outdoors?
- Your housing challenges: Are you at risk of losing your current place to sleep? How quickly do you need assistance? Do you have an eviction or criminal record that makes finding housing difficult?
- What you need: Do you need short-term or long-term housing? Do you have any other needs, like accessibility or safety concerns? Would you like to be placed in a specific housing program? Keep reading to see what kinds of housing options are available.
What questions will they ask me and why?
After you’ve contacted a youth navigator, they will ask several questions in order to determine what services you qualify for. Your situation may be difficult to talk about, especially with a stranger, but remember that your meeting is a judgment-free space.
Try to be as honest as possible so your navigator can pair you with appropriate services. The information you share will be stored in a secure system that can only be accessed by youth homelessness service providers.
Here are some of the topics you can expect to be asked about:
- Demographic questions: These can include your name, date of birth, pronouns and other identifying information. These are collected to coordinate your services between organizations, and so that staff can refer to you in the way you’re most comfortable.
- Your LGBTQ+ status: There are some housing resources in Memphis geared specifically towards LGBTQ+ people. Knowing whether you identify with that community can help navigators determine whether you qualify for those services. Your identity will not be shared with your family or other groups outside the secure network of housing providers.
- Your current housing situation: This can include questions about where you slept last night, where you plan to sleep tonight, and what challenges you are facing staying in your current housing. In order to qualify for federally funded housing assistance, you must meet one of the following criteria:
- Sleeping somewhere not meant for human habitation (like a car, a homeless shelter or outdoors)
- At risk of losing your place to sleep within 14 days
- Fleeing violence at home
- Your health and safety: These can include questions about your mental and physical health as well as whether you are fleeing domestic violence, sexual abuse, stalking or other risks to your personal safety. They are asked in order to determine what housing resources you may qualify for and other types of support you may need.
- Your future housing options: These questions can include where you plan to sleep tonight, your options for staying with family or friends, your housing goals, and any barriers that may be keeping you from finding a new place to live, like an eviction record or involvement with the justice system. These are asked to help narrow down what housing support options may be available to you.
Navigators will not ask about your criminal history, and will protect all information you share related to being a victim of domestic violence. However, they are mandated reporters of child abuse and have to disclose information about mistreated or neglected minors to the authorities.
How to advocate for yourself
Talking about your experience with homelessness can feel vulnerable and scary. Community Alliance for the Homeless youth advocate Kiera Sowell, who experienced homelessness as a youth, says that coming prepared and being honest about your situation will help you get connected with the best resources for your needs.
Good preparation for a youth navigator meeting can include bringing documentation of your circumstances, if you have it. Any forms of ID you have, documentation of your rental history, hospital records or police reports related to your circumstances can all help your navigator understand your situation.
“If you don’t have specific items, like an ID or social security card, be sure to mention it openly and explain why,” said Sowell. “If you don’t have these, or don’t know how to access or get them, that is okay too. You might not always need them, but the more prepared you are, the better.”
Sowell also emphasized the importance of openness and honesty, even when talking about the difficult or embarrassing experiences that contributed to your housing insecurity. Remember, youth navigators are not the police, and they are required to keep the information you share secure. Details about your circumstances will only be shared with other service providers in order to match you with a place to stay.
“I found the most success when I opened up about my need to get out of this cycle of homelessness due to experiencing long-term domestic violence, my mental and physical health struggles, and just an honest desire to help others who are going through these experiences,” Sowell said. “Preparedness, honesty, and self-empathy are super important to self-advocacy.”
What if I need housing tonight?
It can take a few days to be connected with services through the Youth Navigator Program. If you need a place to stay tonight, there are over a dozen emergency shelters in Shelby County. You can find a list of shelters here.
Youth Housing Programs
Here are a handful of housing programs in Memphis geared toward youth that you can access through the youth navigation system. Click on the name of each one to learn more.
Youth Rapid Rehousing
Who runs it: Catholic Charities of West Tennessee
Who qualifies: Youth aged 18-24 who are currently experiencing homelessness.
This program can provide short-term rental and/or utility assistance, case management, employment support and other services to homeless youth. It will also refer youth without a place to stay to Hub Hall.
Hub Hall
Who runs it: The Hospitality Hub
Who qualifies: Youth ages 18-24 experiencing homelessness
This dorm-style shelter houses youth in private rooms while providing resources to help them transition out of homelessness, including job placement, education and mental health support.
Oasis Program
Who runs it: St. John’s Community Services
Who qualifies: Youth aged 18-24 who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness
This program provides permanent housing to homeless youth by placing them in private, furnished apartments. It also provides case management as well as support accessing education and medical and mental health care.
Agape Rapid Rehousing
Who runs it: Agape Family and Child Services
Who qualifies: 18-24 year olds, with or without children of their own
This program can assist youth and their children for up to 12 months with rapid rehousing placement and financial assistance. In order to qualify, you must be a Shelby County resident currently sleeping in a place not meant for long-term habitation, like a car, a homeless shelter or outdoors.
Metamorphosis Project
Who runs it: OUTMemphis
Who qualifies: Youth aged 18-24 who identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community and are experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Showing an ID or social security card is preferred, but not required.
This program can provide dorm-style transitional housing in the Cooper-Young area or placement in independent living units. You can contact OUTMemphis’ Youth Empowerment Center at 901-672-7594 to learn more.
Hope House Youth Rental Assistance
Who runs it: Hope House
Who qualifies: Youth aged 18-24 who are currently homeless and are living with HIV/AIDS. They must have a Ryan White card and be referred by a medical case manager to access social services through Hope House.
This program allows homeless youth living with HIV to receive rental assistance in Shelby County for up to two years. Participants will see their first six months of rent covered 100%, after which their rent responsibility will increase every three months.
Are you a young person trying to navigate the youth housing resource system in Memphis? MLK50 wants to hear about your experience. Contact the authors of this piece at rebecca.cadenhead@mlk50.com and natalie.wallington@mlk50.com.
Rebecca Cadenhead is the youth life and justice reporter for MLK50: Justice Through Journalism. She is also a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms. Email her rebecca.cadenhead@mlk50.com.
Natalie Wallington is the housing reporter for MLK50: Justice Through Journalism. Email her at natalie.wallington@mlk50.com.
This story is brought to you by MLK50: Justice Through Journalism, a nonprofit newsroom focused on poverty, power and policy in Memphis. Support independent journalism by making a tax-deductible donation today. MLK50 is also supported by these generous donors.