Covid-19 is bringing home, in a very dramatic way, the fact that we’re all interconnected. We’re getting it that we can’t live in isolation from one another. Images of people waving through windows to loved ones they can’t visit in person is heartbreaking. The loneliness is palpable….

We can understand now in a visceral way that no one can make it on their own. We all need people to check in on us and cheer us on through our days. We must rely on one another—it’s healthy to rely on one another and be connected. We’re all feeling that now. 

We have the opportunity to offer the simple yet profound gift of care. Human beings want to help other human beings. Now is the time to heed that call.

We can also choose to look at youth homelessness through this new lens….

The web of human connection is life-giving for everyone, especially young people who are without a home. They need a web of support as much as they need a bed. 

It turns out that the most powerful—and lasting—way to help youth out of homelessness is through love. 

The social service response is already stretched too thin—and as youth homelessness surges, as it surely will—the need for more cost-effective approaches will become even more urgent. That’s where investing in the power of human connection makes sense. 

It turns out youth facing homelessness already have adults in their lives who care about them. They’re the people they turn to when they first can’t stay at home—their neighbor, their best friend’s mom, the cousin who lets them stay on their basement couch. 

We are working to lift up these voices of care. Join us in our mission. Our research establishes that the connections to love youth out of homelessness are most often already in their lives, but they lack investment. We’re advocating for investing in loving connection.

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