In Structural Prevention of Youth Homelessness housing stabilization for youth is defined as a form of tertiary prevention that “involves assisting young people who have already experienced homelessness and housing precarity to exit that situation as quickly as possible, with the necessary supports in place to ensure they do not cycle back into homelessness again” (46). Simply housing young people is not enough for a healthy transition to adulthood. Instead, youth also need to be supported and accompanied to gain the necessary skills, experiences, and psychosocial tools and resources to undertake the transition to independence (46). Beginning housing stabilization fulfills those needs by including strategies related to housing support, health and wellbeing, access to income and education, complementary support, and social inclusion (46). For more information on each of the strategies, best practices, examples, evidence and more, see Summarizing Table: Beginning Stabilization.
Within the approach of Beginning Stabilization, we identified four main areas of intervention:
