THE NEED

Thousands of young adults experience homelessness every year in Massachusetts, leading to physical and emotional trauma, lost education, lost productivity, and other consequences.

THE CHALLENGE

Current homelessness resources for young adults in Massachusetts are scarce, can be slow to deploy and inflexible, and often lead to inequitable outcomes for historically and systemically oppressed populations.

THE SOLUTION

Boston Area Youth Cash Assistance for Stable Housing (BAY-CASH): regular, unconditional cash payments plus support services targeted to young adults experiencing homelessness.

Why it works

allowing young people to engage trusted resources and avoid racism, homophobia, and transphobia present in traditional systems
trusting that young people know their needs and communities better than anyone else
leveraging a model that is among the most well researched and successful interventions in social policy
helping young people activate resources immediately to quickly prevent or end their homelessness before they experience additional harm
meaning we can serve many more young people per dollar than traditional, more expensive programming

Implementation Strategy

Phase 1: Readiness

Answering key design questions of the pilot to ensure BAY-CASH is locally created and supported
Completed
Phase 2: Pre-implementation

Finalizing pilot design, selecting implementation partners, ensuring pilot infrastructure is in place for pilot launch
We’re here
Phase 3: Pilot

Running a 15-person pilot, rigorously evaluating outcomes, disseminating findings, and strengthening state partnership

Next
Phase 4: Sharing

Publishing findings, sharing learning widely, training regional partners, implementing state-wide

Coming up