From Chicago to Capitol Hill: Ignite Leads Advocacy Efforts for Young People Facing Homelessness
Tedd Peso -The Night Ministry, Stephanie Piccirilli - Ignite, Susan Frankel - National Runaway Safeline, Senator Dick Durbin IL, Darla Bardine - NN4Y, Senator Susan Collins ME
"One of the greatest responsibilities we have as leaders is to ensure youth have the resources and supports they need to realize their future and thrive. We are called to advocate for policies that meet the immediate and long-term needs of young people experiencing homelessness and provide interventions for youth at the greatest risk of harm." - Stephanie Piccirilli
On February 28, 2024, the National Network for Youth hosted a Congressional briefing in collaboration with Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) focused on the bipartisan bicameral Runaway and Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act (RHYTPA) of 2023 (S.3125/H.R.6041).
At the Congressional briefing, Stephanie Piccirilli, President & CEO of Ignite, spoke on behalf of Ignite’s mission and programs, and the need to reauthorize the Runaway and Homeless Youth Prevention and Trafficking Act. This reauthorization would fund important work across our country in step with the current needs of today's youth, along with changing vital language that better reunifies families, protects against discrimination, and supports preventative programming.
RHYTPA is critical legislation because it would enact vital updates to the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA) program to ensure every young person in the United States has a safe place to call home and access the resources they need to thrive. For over 50 years, RHYA has provided the foundation for American communities’ responses to youth and young adult homelessness. However, RHYA has not been comprehensively updated in over a decade.
The new bill, RHYPTA, would maintain key components of the program and make critical updates including:
A new Prevention Services program focused on providing services specifically tailored toward young people at risk of experiencing any form of homelessness
New provisions to combat trafficking and prohibit discrimination
Increases in the length of stays at emergency shelters from 21 to 30+ days
Increases in grant awards to meet the current cost of operating expenses
Increases allowable age for Transitional Living Programs to 25
Ignite shared compelling stories, data, and insights about the challenges faced by homeless youth and presented actionable policy recommendations to lawmakers. Ignite and others emphasized the importance of increasing and updating the RHYTPA funding for housing programs, expanding access in basic center and transitional living programs, and enhancing support services for young people who have faced human trafficking, and trauma.
This trip was a powerful demonstration of the impact that collective action can have in driving positive change.
Missed the Briefing? No Problem!
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There are hundreds of youth experiencing homelessness who come to Ignite daily. Each of them has a chance at a new beginning. With every opportunity, we’re aiming to address the root causes of youth homelessness and to build a stronger future for Chicago. Guided by over 45 years of experience, Ignite offers unique, life development programs that meet young people where they are and stays with them during throughout their critical developmental years.
