Young Kansans 4 Action

The KS BOS COC Youth Action Board (YAB), Young Kansans 4 Action (YK4A) was initially created in April of 2023 with the intention of putting the Kansas Statewide Homeless Coalition’s (KSHC) newly formed DEI statement into practice, giving young people in the state of Kansas with lived experience of housing instability a voice within our BOS COC governance charter and the ability to speak on and implement changes in policies and procedures related to homelessness.

Recruitment for YAB members started by sending out flyers to Kansas school district counselors, social workers, and McKinney Vento liaisons, and DCF Independent Living coordinators, as well as promoting the initiative during the TAY Homeless Prevention Seminar Series. After starting with a single member from the southeast region in April of 2023, we now have members from the Douglas County region and the Southcentral region and are rigorously recruiting members from the other regions of the BOS COC as well. Since the creation of the BOS COC YK4A YAB, KSHC has now created a Statewide Executive Council (SEC) YAB, comprised of the most active 2-3 members from our BOS COC YK4A YAB, the Wichita COC YAB, the Youth 4 Change YAB out of the Johnson/Wyandotte County COC, and hope to include members from the Shawnee County YAB after it’s creation.

The collaboration between the YK4A YAB and other state COCs will help to create and implement a statewide unified plan to end youth and young adult homelessness in Kansas.

Activities and Projects

Since inception in 2023 and throughout 2024, YK4A members have been active participants throughout the entire CoC, attending Steering Committee Meetings and our Monthly Youth Action Board Meetings to ensure that youth and young adult voices are heard. In addition to monthly meeting engagement, our YAB members utilized their crucial lived experiences to expertly craft a session presented at the 2024 Summit on Homelessness and Housing. The session was geared towards helping other agencies work with youth and young adults by increasing awareness of Adultism.

Not only have the members advocated within our Continuum of Care (CoC), but they have also been committed to reaching our State Representatives. Our Youth Action Board (YAB) members have been actively advocating for youth voices to be heard by engaging in activities such as the 2024 Capitol Hill Day in Topeka, Kansas and the 2024 NN4Y Capital Hill Day in Washington D.C. where members spoke directly to representatives about youth and young adult housing needs in Kansas, demonstrating advocacy in action while cultivating a space for professional development.

In 2024, our YAB members also contributed their expertise to a statewide initiative and grant application, the Youth Homelessness Service Improvement (YHSI) Grant. If awarded, the grant will heavily rely on YAB members’ experience to create systemic change throughout youth service delivery in Kansas.

What we’re up to

Currently the YK4A YAB is working on developing policies and procedures for the YAB itself to govern the structure of the YAB as well as expectations and recruitment of future YAB members. Our hope for the future is to be awarded the YHSI grant to host a statewide youth services event, implement systems mapping to better understand gaps in services and create a CE assessment specific for youth and young adults.

From there we would like to apply for the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) grant to fund more housing programs for youth in our state. We have some big goals in mind, but we are extremely proud of the work that the YAB has put in thus far and can’t wait to see all of the amazing contributions to ending youth and young adult homelessness for our state in the future!

Join our YK4A Action Board!

We’re looking for passionate and driven young individuals to make a difference in our community. Your voice matters, and by joining, you can help shape the future of our programs and services. Click the link to the right to learn more and get involved today!

Inquire here!