๐๐จโ๐ฉโ๐งโ๐ฆ Immigration Policies Tear Families Apart, Create Homeless Youth
๐๐ช YOTO's 86% Graduation Rate Beats County Average ๐๐จโ๐ฉโ๐งโ๐ฆ Immigration Policies Tear Families Apart, Create Homeless Youth
Based on the 9/24/24 Jump In Tucson Show on KVOI-1030AM.
๐ Notable quotes from the show
"Most youth experiencing homelessness are not literally homeless on the street or living in a car. Most of them are couch hopping" - Elizabeth Slater, highlighting the invisible nature of youth homelessness
"We give them a stipend. We pay them a stipend every month the more days they go to school, the more money they earn from us" - Elizabeth Slater, explaining YOTO's financial incentive program
"I wish every adult in our county could know is that you probably know a youth who would qualify for YOTOright now, even if you think you don't" - Elizabeth Slater, emphasizing the prevalence of youth homelessness
"Sometimes it's because high school isn't free in other countries, but it is here" - Elizabeth Slater, discussing how immigration issues intersect with youth homelessness
โฎ๏ธ ICYMI: From the Last Showโฆ
๐ฝ Keepinโ It Simple Summary for Younger Readers
๐ง๐พโ๐พ๐ฆ๐พ
There's a group called Youth on Their Own (YOTO) that helps high school students who don't have a stable home. ๐ โ These students might be sleeping on friends' couches or struggling to get basic things they need. ๐๏ธ๐ YOTO gives them money ๐ฐ for going to school, helps with food and supplies ๐๐, and supports them to graduate high school. ๐ The person in charge, Elizabeth Slater, talked about how YOTO helps over 1,600 students graduate each year! ๐ She says it's important because finishing high school can really change a young person's future for the better. ๐
๐๏ธ Takeaways
๐ซ YOTO supports homeless youth to achieve an 86% high school graduation rate, far above Pima County's 71.3% average
๐๏ธ Many homeless youth are "invisible," often couch-surfing rather than living on the streets
๐ฐ YOTO provides financial incentives, basic needs, and guidance to keep youth in school
๐ Some YOTO participants are separated from their parents due to immigration issues
๐ฅ YOTO alumni often give back by working for the organization or serving on its board
๐ค Community support through volunteering and donations is crucial for YOTO's success
๐ป What They Discussed
On September 26, 2024, Ted Maxwell hosted the "Engagement Hour" segment of Jump In Tucson on 1030 The Voice. The featured guest was Elizabeth Slater, CEO of Youth on Their Own (YOTO), a Tucson-based nonprofit organization that supports homeless and unaccompanied youth. Matt Neely assisted behind the scenes as the show's producer.
๐ The Invisible Crisis of Youth Homelessness
Youth homelessness is a pervasive yet often invisible crisis in Tucson and across Arizona. Elizabeth Slater shed light on this issue, explaining that most homeless youth are not living on the streets, but rather "couch surfing" - moving from one temporary living situation to another. This invisibility makes it challenging for the community to recognize and address the problem.
YOTO serves youth who are on their own without parental support and experiencing homelessness in a broad sense. This includes those who might be staying with non-parent adults or friends temporarily. The organization expects to serve up to 1,800 youth in the coming year, an increase from the previous year's 1,600, indicating a growing need for their services.
Slater emphasized that youth homelessness is more common than many people realize, stating, "I wish every adult in our county could know is that you probably know a youth who would qualify for YOTO right now, even if you think you don't." This highlights the widespread nature of the issue and the importance of community awareness and support.
๐ YOTO's Comprehensive Support Model
Youth on Their Own employs a holistic approach to supporting homeless and unaccompanied youth, focusing on three key areas:
Financial Incentives: YOTO provides a monthly stipend to students based on their school attendance. This innovative approach addresses one of the primary reasons homeless youth drop out - the need to work to support themselves. As Slater explained, "We give them a stipend we pay them a stipend every month the more days they go to school the more money they earn from us and so that's what youth tell us is the top thing that keeps them enrolled in school."
Basic Needs Provision: The organization ensures that students have access to food, hygiene supplies, school supplies, and other essentials. This removes barriers that might otherwise prevent students from attending school regularly.
Guidance and Support: Program coordinators and social work interns provide ongoing guidance to students, helping them navigate both academic and personal challenges.
This comprehensive approach has yielded impressive results. YOTO boasts an 86% high school graduation rate among its participants, significantly higher than Pima County's overall rate of 71.3%. This success demonstrates the effectiveness of addressing multiple aspects of a student's life to support their academic achievement.
๐ Immigration and Youth Homelessness
The discussion touched on an important intersection between immigration policies and youth homelessness. Slater highlighted that some YOTO participants are separated from their parents due to immigration issues. These are often U.S. citizen youth whose parents have had to leave the country.
In some cases, youth come to the U.S. for high school because it's free here, while it might be costly in their home countries.
Slater explained, "Sometimes it's because high school isn't free in other countries, but it is here. So they might go to middle school and live with their family in Mexico. But then when it's time to go to high school, they'll come to the U.S. because they want to continue their education and they can't afford to do it somewhere else where they have to pay to go to high school."
This situation underscores the complex interplay between immigration policies, education access, and youth homelessness, highlighting the need for comprehensive approaches that consider these intersecting issues.
๐ฅ Alumni Impact and Community Leadership
YOTO's impact extends beyond high school graduation. The organization continues to support alumni up to age 25 through its alumni program, assisting with resume building, interview preparation, and other skills needed for success in adulthood.
Moreover, many YOTO alumni go on to become active contributors to the Tucson community.
Slater shared, "If I'm like walking around anywhere in town with my YOTO name tag on, I mean, I'll have five people come up to me and say, oh, I was in YOTO and now I run this car wash, you know, or they're in the government. They're everywhere. They're leading here in Tucson."
This ongoing community impact is further reinforced by YOTO's practice of including alumni on their staff and board of directors. This not only provides valuable perspective to the organization but also demonstrates the long-term success of YOTO's model in empowering youth to become community leaders.
๐ Published Author
Elizabeth Slater, the CEO of YOTO, mentioned Elizabeth Carmeo Gutierrez as an example of a successful YOTO alumna. Gutierrez wrote a book titled "My Side of the River," which was featured at the previous year's festival of books.
Slater described Gutierrez's situation and experience:
"Elizabeth is a fantastic person. She went through YOTO in high school, and she was separated from her parents due to immigration, for an immigration-related reason."
Slater further elaborated on Gutierrez's experience:
"She experienced a lot of hardship and just the pain, the trauma of being separated from your family. It is significant."
Slater used Gutierrez's story to illustrate the challenges faced by some YOTO students, particularly those separated from their families due to immigration issues. She also highlighted how Gutierrez's success story represents the potential of YOTO students:
"We have the opportunity to be part of her life for this brief period and support her on her journey. And now she's like a changemaker in the world. She is doing so much amazing stuff."
Slater recommended Gutierrez's book, saying:
"I think the book just highlights what that process can look like and what it takes inside a person to get through that. So it's really beautiful. I recommend anyone grab it, My Side of the River. It's great."
This discussion of Elizabeth Carmeo Gutierrez provided a concrete example of a YOTO success story, illustrating the organization's impact and the resilience of the youth it serves.
๐ฐ Funding and Community Support
YOTO relies heavily on community support and private donations to fund its operations. Slater emphasized that YOTO doesn't receive any federal funding, making it a truly community-driven initiative. The organization has partnerships with local entities like United Way and Angel Charity, as well as support from family foundations and individual donors.
The show highlighted various ways community members can support YOTO, including volunteering, organizing supply drives, and making financial donations. Slater also emphasized the importance of board service, encouraging skilled professionals to consider joining nonprofit boards as a way to contribute their expertise.
This focus on community engagement and support underscores the collaborative nature of addressing youth homelessness and the critical role that local communities play in supporting vulnerable youth.
๐ฆ Three Sonorans Commentary
The Hidden Costs of Broken Immigration Policies: Youth Homelessness in the Borderlands
In a recent interview on Jumpin Tucson, Elizabeth Slater, CEO of Youth on Their Own (YOTO), shed light on a critical issue that often goes unnoticed in discussions about immigration and education: the impact of our broken immigration system on youth who find themselves caught between borders, cultures, and systems.
Slater's comments about YOTO participants separated from their parents due to immigration issues are particularly telling: "Sometimes it's because high school isn't free in other countries, but it is here. So, they might go to middle school and live with their family in Mexico. But then when it's time to go to high school, they'll come to the U.S. because they want to continue their education, and they can't afford to do it somewhere else where they have to pay to go to high school."
This situation exposes the cruel reality of our current immigration policies. Young people, many of whom are U.S. citizens, are forced to choose between their families and their education. They become de facto unaccompanied minors, not because of personal choice but because of a system that prioritizes borders over families and punitive measures over human rights.
The work of YOTO is commendable. These youth achieved an 86% high school graduation rate compared to Pima County's overall 71.3%. However, we must ask ourselves: Why is such an organization necessary in the first place? Why are we, as a society, allowing policies that tear families apart and force young people into precarious living situations?
Moreover, while YOTO's financial incentives for school attendance are innovative, they also highlight the systemic failures that make such measures necessary. In a just society, youth wouldn't have to choose between education and survival. They wouldn't need to be paid to attend school because their basic needs would already be met.
The invisibility of youth homelessness, with many young people couch-surfing rather than living on the streets, further obscures this issue from public view. As Slater points out, "Most youth experiencing homelessness are not literally homeless on the street or living in a car. Most of them are couch hopping." This invisibility allows the broader community to ignore the problem, perpetuating cycles of poverty and marginalization.
While YOTO and similar organizations provide crucial support, they are ultimately band-aids on a gaping wound caused by unjust immigration policies, systemic racism, and economic inequality. As a community, we need to demand comprehensive immigration reform that keeps families together, ensures access to education for all youth regardless of immigration status, and addresses the root causes of poverty and homelessness.
The story of YOTO is not just about helping homeless youth graduate high school. It's a stark reminder of the human cost of our current policies and the urgent need for systemic change. As we applaud the work of organizations like YOTO, let us also commit to fighting for a world where such organizations are no longer necessary โ a world where all youth have the stability, support, and opportunities they deserve.
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๐ฏ People Mentioned
Elizabeth Slater: CEO of Youth on Their Own (YOTO)
Quote: "We serve youth who are on their own without the support of their parents and are experiencing homelessness in a broad sense"
Ted Maxwell: Host of Jumpin Tucson radio show
Matt Neely: Behind-the-scenes producer for Jumpin Tucson
Elizabeth Carmeo Gutierrez: Author of "My Side of the River" and former YOTO student
Quote about her: "She experienced a lot of hardship and just the pain, the trauma of being separated from your family. It is significant." - Elizabeth Slater
Chris DeSimone: Host of Wake Up Tucson radio show
Grant Krueger: Host of another segment on Jump in Tucson
Paul: Caller who asked about United Way funding for YOTO