New York, NY
Together Organizing Data Access for Youth Programs in NYC (T.O.D.A.Y.)
Organization: New York University
Primary Investigator: Meredith Dank
Research Track: Resource and Service Equity
NSF Abstract
Housing instability among youth is a significant issue across the U.S., with at least one in thirty adolescents aged 13-17 and one in ten youth aged 18-25 experiencing unstable housing annually. In cities like NYC, the lack of affordable housing and living-wage youth employment opportunities make it especially difficult for youth to find and remain in safe, stable housing. Accessing support services, such as mental health, legal, and financial assistance, is crucial for transitioning out of homelessness. However, resource availability and youth needs are often mismatched due to inadequate resources, changing economic conditions and other exogenous factors, and surges of young people requiring assistance. To increase the ability of runaway and homeless youth organizations to respond to youth needs and navigate a changing landscape, this project will develop and pilot a coordinated data platform. This platform will enable youth to provide up-to-date intake information to providers and specify their service needs, and enable multiple organizations to assess the population waiting for shelter and services.
The project aims to better match youth with organizations that can increase their access to shelter and meet their unique set of needs. Through strategic partnerships with local service providers, governmental agencies, local coalitions, and with direct input from youth with lived experience, the project will develop the infrastructure for a coordinated data platform to improve data collection and management processes across varied youth service organizations. This platform will empower youth to convey their needs more effectively, enhancing service responsiveness and efficiency. During planning, the project team and partners will use a collaborative community-based approach to ensure that the proposed platform to be deployed in the pilot project meets the varied and unique needs of multiple stakeholders, increasing the likelihood of successful adoption and long-term viability.
This project is in response to the Civic Innovation Challenge program?s Track B. Bridging the gap between essential resources and services & community needs and is a collaboration between NSF, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Energy.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.