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Youth Action Board

Empowering youth to lead solutions, build care networks, and unlock every young person’s potential in Maricopa.

In Maricopa County there are over 1,800 youth experiencing homelessness.

  • 690 youth ages 18 to 24
  • 28 youth under the age of 18 without a family
  • 82 youth are who are the head of their households

The Youth Action Board was founded in November 2022 with seed funding from the Arizona Department of Housing. Since then, the YAB has partnered with youth service providers to improve access to services, pursued specialized funding for youth services, worked with the ASU Action Nexus on Housing and Homelessness to publish a specialized youth services resource guide, and driven youth-led advocacy across Maricopa.

The Youth Action Board (YAB) holds the authority to provide strategic guidance, set priorities, and make policy recommendations concerning unaccompanied youth and young adults under the age of 25 experiencing homelessness. The YAB collaborates closely with the CoC Board, ensuring that youth perspectives and lived experiences directly influence decisions, policies, and programs impacting the youth homelessness response system.

Mission

The Youth Action Board focuses on empowering homeless and at-risk youth through collaboration with service providers, enhancing understanding and resources. We strive to create an equitable community where every youth is heard, has access to support, and is enabled to build a brighter future.

YAB Accomplishments 

  • Developed a welcoming youth drop-in center and bridge housing program in partnership with YMCA’s .
  • Advised ASU’s Office on Sex Trafficking Intervention Research on a mentoring program for young adults with lived experience of homelessness and trafficking.
  • Apply annually for specialized youth-services funding through HUD.

As part of their HUD funding application, the YAB produced a video sharing their vision to end youth homelessness in Maricopa. Watch it below:

Meetings

The Youth Action Board meets every Wednesday from 6 to 8 pm. If you would like to connect with the YAB please reach out to: mfinley@azmag.gov

Youth Homelessness Systems Improvement Grant

In February 2024, the Maricopa Regional Youth Action Board joined forces with the Tucson-Pima Youth Action Collaborative and the Balance of State Governance Advisory Board to apply for HUD’s Youth Homelessness Systems Improvement (YHSI) grant. Designed to bridge and align systems of care, YHSI aims to ensure that every young person experiencing homelessness receives seamless, cross-system support. In June 2024, HUD awarded $1.7 million to advance Maricopa’s youth homelessness response through these key goals:

1. Develop cross-system partnerships to address youth homelessness
2. Achieve system design parity across Arizona’s continua of care
3. Develop career pathways for youth in the homeless response system
4. Organize a statewide youth conference on homelessness

Resources

Access the Youth Resource Guide for instructions on how to access available services.