Together, the Dane County Youth Action Board and Madison/Dane County YHDP Core Team outlined our Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program's Missions and Visions!
Mission & Vision Statement:
In Madison/Dane County we value Diversity, Youth and Young Adult (YYA) Leadership from those impacted by homelessness, community connections & partnerships, individual agency, and transparency. Our Youth Homelessness System fights to eradicate systems of oppression including but not limited to adultism, racism, ableism, transphobia, homophobia, and classism. We work to center equity and intersectionality throughout our systems. We advocate for the rights of young people, to ensure that youth homelessness is rare, brief, and non-recurring in our community.
In Madison/Dane County, we envision a Response System that will enrich our community while ending disparities amongst youth and young adults experiencing homelessness, because it is designed and strengthened by our youth, for our youth.
This system will support all youth and young adults into adulthood, by;
Collaborating, supporting, and partnering with our community members
Self-actualization of chosen family and other natural and communal supports
Valuing lived expertise as a form of knowledge
Training and practicing comprehensive trauma-informed care
Providing equitable, respectful and accessible assistance, health care, family care, shelter options and educational services, no matter who you are or how you go about seeking service
We envision a future where all youth and young adults are thriving through individualized and equitable support from our community. We envision a future where older adult partners trust our youth to lead Dane County FORWARD!