The Coon Rapids City Council recently approved a proposed transitional housing project for homeless youth.
The idea stemmed from Anoka-based Hope 4 Youth, an organization that simply couldn’t ignore the 39 percent rise in youth homelessness in Anoka County.
Hope 4 Youth aims to end homelessness in Anoka County. It currently provides referrals to adult shelters, community host homes and transitional living programs in other cities. There are currently no youth shelters in Anoka, which is why the group chose this specific project.
The housing project’s basic idea is to convert a vacant commercial building in Coon Rapids into an apartment-style building with 12 studio units, each of which will have a kitchen, bedroom and bathroom.
The city also hopes to protect the health and safety of youth in trouble.
The transitional housing project would be for homeless youth between the ages of 18 and 23. Each individual would stay at the facility for 18 to 24 months, on average.
The conditions for staying in the transitional housing facility would be paying rent, signing a lease and completing daily chores. It is also necessary for the residents to attend either school or work.
I believe transitional housing would be a positive contribution to Coon Rapids as a whole — it would reestablish a sense of community for troubled youth and reinforce the importance of responsibilities.
Something that makes this project such a smart idea is the requirement that the housing’s occupants must attend either school or work. This reminds tenants that housing is not just a free ride.
There are, however, a few aspects to the transitional housing project that may be a source of concern.
For one thing, it would be wise to create strict regulations regarding drugs and alcohol for those who plan on staying in the units. Prohibiting these substances, with the threat of eviction upon breaking the rules, would be the most effective policy.
Drug and alcohol abuse among homeless youth is an enormous issue — nearly 75 percent use drugs and alcohol as a means of self-medication. When you’re alone on the street, intoxication is a tempting way to forget your problems.
But simply banning drugs and alcohol may not be enough to stop homeless youth from using, especially if they have become addicted to self-medicating.
Because this is such an important issue, it would also be wise for those who are self-medicating to attend regular counseling.
Youth homelessness is a problem we cannot continue to ignore. There are currently 1.7 million homeless teens in the United States, and about 5,000 of them die each year due to of violence, illness or suicide.
Hope 4 Youth has started an amazing trend of compassion in Coon Rapids, but for the safety of homeless youth, imposing strict guidelines is more important than ever.
