Youth Connection reports 467 youth contacts in March, cites 86% housing-first success rate

Susan Kirchoff, director of the Youth Connection, told the Shelton City Council on April 1 that her organization served 467 young people in March and is using a Housing First approach to prevent return to homelessness.

Kirchoff said the Youth Connection served 467 youth who signed into the center in March, provided 240 hot meals and distributed 47 bags of food and other essentials. She said the program reports an 86 percent success rate in preventing young people from returning to homelessness and that staff secured permanent housing for three individuals last month.

The Youth Connection also described community engagement work including trail and skate-park outreach and two training events offered in March — trauma-informed care and motivational interviewing. Kirchoff invited council members and the public to upcoming events: an April 26 Child Abuse Prevention Month event and a May 17 Mardi Gras fundraiser.

Kirchoff identified the Youth Connection’s service age range as 13 to 24 and said the center partners with local organizations to provide outreach and training. She described the program as “solution driven” and urged continued collaboration with the city and other nonprofits.