WHAT IS THE YAB?

In 2019, Montana received over $3M from HUD to support 16 projects addressing youth homelessness in Montana. These projects cannot be successful without youth-adult partnerships and feedback from youth with lived experience of homelessness and housing insecurity; therefore, the Montana Continuum of Care authentically engages youth to collaborate on improving homeless youth services.

YAB members work with grantees to improve our understanding of youth homelessness in Montana. They also assist in identifying housing, health, education, employment, and social-emotional well-being needs for youth experiencing homelessness, discuss the current homeless response system, and identify housing and service gaps for youth.

Our Commitment

We recognize that the foundation of the child welfare system and social services in The United States is steeped in racial and class prejudice. These institutions historically and presently work alongside systems of policing in ways that cause harm to marginalize people by enforcing social norms stemming from white supremacy. We acknowledge these truths because we know these systems can be better, and ignoring this history only continues the harm.