Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Homelessness Youth topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sutter-Yuba youth advisory board highlights “1 in 25” homelessness figure and urges local action
Summary
A new bi-county youth advisory board presented testimony and a video to the Sutter County Board of Supervisors, spotlighting unaccompanied youth homelessness and urging inclusion of lived experience in planning; staff said updated local figures show 1 in 25 youth experience homelessness, and partners said the board can help access state and federal grants.
Johnny Burke, executive director of the Sutter Yuba Homeless Consortium, told the Sutter County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 26 that a new youth advisory board will bring young people with lived experience into local policy discussions about homelessness.
"Our youth advisory board was created to shine a light on unaccompanied homeless youth in Yuba and Sutter Counties," Burke said during a video presentation and in-person testimony, explaining the board grew from school-district and consortium outreach and can strengthen grant applications.
The board and school partners said point-in-time counts previously suggested about "1 in 30" children experienced homelessness locally; updated figures presented to the board put that ratio at "1 in 25." Presenters emphasized the difference between HUD’s point-in-time definitions and the McKinney-Vento Act’s broader definition used by schools, which can identify students who are couch-surfing or doubled-up and who may not appear in shelter counts.
Several young people who helped produce the video spoke directly to supervisors about their experiences. One youth described frequent moves, couch-surfing and unsafe shelter environments; another said school liaisons provided food packages and connected her to resources that helped her secure employment. Panelists and school representatives said the advisory board helps surface those lived experiences so county programs and grant applications better reflect youth needs.
Burke and staff credited Brian Davis and collaborators with producing the video content used at the meeting. Presenters also named contributing partners: Yuba County Office of Education, Sutter County Superintendent of Schools, Marysville Joint Unified School District, Yuba City Unified School District and Wheatland Union School District.
Board members applauded the presentations and recognized students who appeared in the video; no formal action was required. Johnny Burke and staff asked supervisors to continue supporting cross-jurisdictional coordination and to consider the advisory board’s input when applying for grants that require youth engagement.
The board did not schedule a vote on funding at the meeting; staff said the advisory board’s work will inform future grant applications and program design.
