On a busy stretch of Lombard in the Marina District, an unassuming building on the corner of Lombard and Scott plays host to a population of residents with a remarkable spirit of determination and integrity. This building, Edward II is one of two HomeRise properties, the other being 5th Street Apartments in SoMa, focused on housing and providing services to Transitional Aged Youth or TAY.
TAY are young adults (18-25) transitioning out of public systems, like foster care, and/or are at risk of experiencing homelessness. HomeRise has positioned its innovative service delivery model to fit the specific needs of TAY residents.
What services are offered?
Using housing as a platform, HomeRise provides a combination of case management services, clinical mental health services, groups and events, community-building activities and skill-building to help TAY on their path to self-sufficiency.
At the 5th Street Apartments on 5th and Harrison in SoMa, an intensive workforce development program is run out of the Training & Development Center, a nearly 3,000 sq. ft. space on the building’s ground floor specifically devoted to workforce training and development needs. Providing residents a stable and dedicated learning environment, complete with a computer lab, the Center helps program participants build their professional skills while incorporating needed computer learning skills into training classes. .
Further north in the Marina, HomeRise partnered closely with Larkin Street Youth Services and the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development to transform the Edward II Inn into 25 units of supportive housing, serving TAY. With HomeRise the Edward II, residents receive a combination of job training, case management services and educational support provided by Larkin Street’s highly effective programming.
Housing Challenges Facing TAY and Foster Youth in San Francisco:
Mayor Newsom, first codified policy recommendations addressed at improving outcomes for San Francisco’s most vulnerable youth under the Mayor’s Task Force on Transitional Youth. This report found that one of the most critical components of successful programs for TAY, were those that provided supportive services.
San Francisco has one of the highest rates of TAY homelessness in the country. The most recent Point-In-Time survey conducted in San Francisco, found that of the 1,145 TAY experiencing homelessness in the city, 82% lacked shelter, and 29% had been in the foster system. In addition, almost half of the TAY experiencing homelessness identify as LGBTQ+, while TAY of color are disproportionately represented compared to the city as a whole.
Housing and supportive services are crucial interventions in the lives of TAY experiencing homelessness so that they may enjoy a health transition to adulthood.
TAY at HomeRise
Count of TAY-dedicated units in HomeRise sites: 68 (24 at Edward II and 44 at Fifth Street )
Count of groups held in 2021 at 5th Street’s Training & Development Center: 101
Current count of active TAY residents in all HomeRise buildings: 127 (103 residents from HomeRise’s 14 sites with HomeRise services staff + 24 from Edward II)
Learn more below:
Recommendations to Improve the Lives of TAY in San Francisco
San Francisco Youth Homeless Count & Survey 2019 Executive Summary