Grant Details

The Street Outreach Program (SOP) provides street-based services to run away, homeless, and street youth who have been subjected to or are at risk of being subjected to sexual abuse, prostitution, sexual exploitation, and severe forms of human trafficking in persons. These services, targeted in areas where street youth congregate, are designed to assist such youth in making healthy choices and providing them access to shelter as well as basic needs, including food, hygiene packages and information on a rage of available services.

The Street Outreach Program (SOP) establishes street-based services for youth under the age of 22 who have been subjected to or are at risk of being subjected to: 

• Abuse (including, but not limited to, sexual, emotional, physical, and economic abuse) 
• Sexual or labor exploitation 
• Human trafficking 

Grantees target areas where youth who are living on the street or otherwise experiencing homelessness or housing instability gather to provide them with access to shelter and basic needs such as food, hygiene packages, and information on available services.

Project requirements 

SOP projects receiving this funding under this opportunity must meet the following requirements.

Street outreach and access to shelter 

You must conduct outreach and engage with youth who have left home due to family conflict or other crisis, youth who are experiencing homelessness, and youth living on the street, with the goal of helping them stay safe and leave the streets. You must provide access to emergency shelter or safe and stable housing 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The shelters your agency supports or refers youth to must meet the following requirements: 

• Have availability to house youth 
• Agree to a memorandum of understanding (MOU) or letter of commitment from referral partners to ensure they will accept referrals 
• Meet state or local licensing requirements 
• Be supervised and age-appropriate
• Provide a youth-friendly environment fostering trust and providing safe spaces for vulnerable populations such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and/or questioning, intersex, asexual, Two-Spirit (LGBTQIA2S+) youth 
• Consider the safety and needs of victims of human trafficking and victims of domestic violence 
• Provide transportation to shelter that is available and easily accessible 

Optional drop-in center 

Your project may support a drop-in center. This service is optional. If you choose to establish a drop-in center using our funding, it must be accessible to youth and young adults and provide services including, but not limited to, the following: 

• Resource materials about available services 
• Showers 
• Hot meals 
• Laundry 
• Email 
• Phone 
• Case management 

A drop-in center does not replace required street-based outreach and engagement efforts. Drop-in centers should enhance street outreach and engagement. 

Comprehensive youth-centered services model 

You must use a trauma-informed approach when providing services. You must also utilize a Positive Youth Development (PYD) framework. This framework is an intentional, prosocial approach to engaging youth. You must consult with and engage young people with lived experience of homelessness and offer them opportunities to have input on program implementation. When engaging and collaborating with youth and young adults who have experienced homelessness, you are encouraged to provide compensation for their expertise, and may do so using these funds.

Project Goal and Vision:

Goal: Provide street-based services to street youth and young adults who are experiencing homelessness or have runaway, who are under 21 years of age and who have been subjected to, or are at risk of being subjected to, sexual abuse, exploitation, and severe forms of trafficking (sex and/or labor); and to build relationships between street outreach workers and these youth to move them into safe and stable housing or emergency shelter and prepare them for independence.

Vision: Prevent the sexual abuse, human trafficking, or exploitation of young people living on the streets or in unstable housing.