St. Mary's County Local Management Board asks youth for input on homelessness, trauma and other priorities

Tammy Lowy, chair of the St. Mary’s County Local Management Board, told the St. Mary’s County Youth Advisory Council on Feb. 4 that the board is collecting youth feedback to identify local service gaps before applying to the governor’s office for state funds.

The input sought by the Local Management Board will inform applications tied to seven priority areas the state children’s cabinet has identified: reducing the impact of parental incarceration, youth homelessness, improving outcomes for disconnected or “opportunity” youth, reducing childhood hunger, juvenile justice diversion, trauma-informed care and preventing out‑of‑state placements.

Lowy said boards like the county Local Management Board are positioned “to identify the drivers and effects of youth homelessness in their communities and ensure those youth are connected to appropriate services.” She described youth homelessness as having different needs than adult homelessness and said the root causes include unsafe home environments, family discord related to sexual orientation or gender identity, transitions from foster care or detention, poverty, undocumented status and lack of affordable housing. “Due to age,…