WEBVTT CEREMONY. BACK TO YOU. DEBORAH: TIME FOR OUR SUNDAY MORNING Q&A. JOINING US IS DELEGATE MARY WASHINGTON. ARE HERE TO DISCUSS SOMETHING THAT WILL TAKE PLACE IN MARYLAND THE FIRST EVER COUNT OF HOMELESS YOUTH. YES. YOUTH REACH MARYLAND IS OCCURRING IN SIX JURISDICTIONS IN MARYLAND. THE WESTERN PART OF THE STATE, UPPER SHORE AND PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, BALTIMORE CITY AND BALTIMORE COUNTY. WHAT WE ARE ATTEMPTING TO DO IS REACH OUT AND GAUGE, ASSIST AND COUNT YOUNG PEOPLE TO END HOMELESSNESS IN MARYLAND. DEBORAH: YOU CAME ABOUT THIS WHEN A NUMBER OF HOMELESS YOUTH CAME TO ANNAPOLIS TO TESTIFY. YES. DEBORAH: YOU WERE SO STRUCK BY THIS ISSUE THAT YOU WRAPPED YOUR ARMS AROUND IT. IT WAS MY SECOND YEAR AS A LEGISLATOR AND THEY CAME TO MY OFFICE, YOUTH FROM YES, THE YOUTH EMPOWERMENT SOCIETY WHICH IS A PEER SUPPORT AND ORGANIZATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE HELPING OTHER YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS. THESE ARE YOUTH WHO EXPERIENCED HOMELESSNESS AND WANTED TO WORK TOGETHER IN A MUTUAL AID TO SUPPORT EACH OTHER. WITH THE REPRESENTATION FROM THE HOMELESS PERSONS REPRESENTATION PROJECT THEY SAID WE WOULD LIKE A BOND TO BUILD HOUSING FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. I THOUGHT WHAT DO YOU MEAN? WHAT IS THE ISSUE? AS I BEGAN IT RESEARCH IT I FOUND IRONICALLY WE DON'T HAVE A POLICY OR BUDGET HOME FOR HOMELESSNESS AND AT ANY ONE NIGHT UPWARDS OF 50,000 PEOPLE ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS IN OUR STATE. THIS PROJECT OF YOUTH REACH MARYLAND WE ARE TRYING TO IDENTIFY AND CONNECT AND MAKE SURE PRIVATE NONPROFITS AND PUBLIC ENTITIES HAVE A REAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE SCOPE AND NATURE OF YOUTH HOMELESSNESS BECAUSE IT IS DIFFERENT THAN ADULT HOMELESSNESS. DEBORAH: I WAS GOING TO ASK THE FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO YOUTH HOMELESSNESS IS DIFFERENT THAN THOSE FOR ADULT HOMELESSNESS. SURE. SOME OF THE YOUNG PEOPLE ARE NOT CONNECTED INTO THE EXISTEN SYSTEM. -- EXISTING SYSTEMMENT THEY ARE IN THE STREETS, THEY ARE COUCH SURFING. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO SUPPORT YOUNG PEOPLE KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR SO WE WANT TO CONNECT THEM. DEBORAH: WE ARE LOOKING A THE SOME OF THE POSTERS FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION RIGHT NOW. YOU SAID COUCH SURFING. YES. WHAT SOME YOUNG PEOPLE ARE DOING IS THEY ARE UNSTABLY HOUSED SO THEY STAY WITH A FRIEND, AUNT, UNCLE. THEY ARE GOING FROM PLACE IT PLACE. SO, WE WANT TO REACH OUT TO THEM. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF LOCAL EVENTS THAT ARE OCCURRING IN BALTIMORE CITY AND BALTIMORE COUNTY WHERE WE ARE SAYING COME IN, WE KNOW THAT WE'VE NOT SUPPORTED YOU IN THE WAYS THAT WE SHOULD HAVE, WE KNOW THERE ARE PROBABLY A LOT OF ADULTS THAT MADE PROMISES TO YOU AND HAVEN'T KEPT THEM BUT THESE ARE OUR CHILDREN AND AS THEY ARE MAKING THAT TRANSITION TO ADULTHOOD WHEN THEY ARE FIGURING OUT WHO THEY ARE AND FINDING OUT WHAT THEIR CAREER IS A NUMBER OF US HAD ADULT SUPPORT IN THAT PROCESS. THIS IS NOT -- THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO DEVELOP THE BUDGET AND LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES APPEAR GET THE DATA WE NEED. THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK IS OUR CONVENE NOR AND DOING THE RESEARCH. DEBORAH: YOU HAVE BROUGHT TOGETHER A LOT OF GOOD PEOPLE TO DO THIS. I COULD TALK TO YOU ABOUT THIS MANY MORE HOURS, REALLY. I'M SO GLAD TO HAVE YOU IN AND I HOPE WE CONTINUE TO COVER THIS. IF I COULD SAY IF ANYONE IN THE AUDIENCE KNOWS A YOUNG PERSON IN THIS SITUATION, PLEASE GO TO OUR WEBSITE WHICH IS YOUTH REACH MARYLAND.ORG AND GAG US ON FACEBOOK AND SAY THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE COUNTED. THAT ALLOWS US AS ADULTS AND THE STATE TO DEVELOP THE POLICIES WE NEED. DEBORAH: IMPORTANT WORK THAT WILL TAKE PLACE THIS WEEK IN MARYLAND.