Valley Youth House Says “Couches Don’t Count” at Pop-Up Event
outside PPL Center during the Phantoms Last Game
Allentown, PA (4/15/16) – Between the hours of 3PM and 5PM on Sunday, April 17th, fans of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms will find an unusual sight outside of the PPL Center before the last game of the season – a couch. The couch is part of an area-wide awareness campaign by Valley Youth House called “#CouchesDontCount”.
#CouchesDontCount is an advocacy campaign to raise awareness for the disproportionate rate of young people experiencing homelessness that are “couch surfing”, or staying with friends or acquaintances rather than sleeping unsheltered. Some studies have suggested as high as 64% of youth experiencing homelessness are couch surfing as means of shelter.
Valley Youth House believes that couches don’t count as stable housing for any young person experiencing homelessness. More can and should be done to support these young people in finding resources, shelter, and transitional housing, with the ultimate goal of achieving independence and stability.
Emily Conners, Development Officer at Valley Youth House, says of the campaign: “Our #CouchesDontCount campaign will put a spotlight on the needs of homeless and unstably housed youth that typically fly under the radar.”
Sunday’s #CouchesDontCount pop-up event will be promoting the upcoming Lehigh Valley Youth Count, hosted May 16–20th by the Lehigh Valley Regional Homeless Advisory Board, of which Valley Youth House is a member agency. This count will survey youth ages 16-24 who are experiencing homelessness or housing instability in the Lehigh Valley in order to determine needs and identify gaps in order to properly allocate resources. Training, coordination, and support for the Youth Count will be provided by The Synergy Project, which is Valley Youth House’s street outreach program.
“This is the first time a comprehensive Youth Count has occurred in the Lehigh Valley. Collecting this data is an important step in recognizing the needs of homeless youth and being able to provide better access to services.” says Andrew Palomo, Program Supervisor at Valley Youth House’s Maternity Group Home.
About Valley Youth House
Valley Youth House (valleyyouthhouse.org) does more than just provide homes for Pennsylvania’s vulnerable, abused and homeless youth. We partner with thousands of individuals each year to build a solid foundation for young people and their families. With dedicated street outreach, housing, counseling, skills training, health, prevention, and intervention services, we empower resilient young people in establishing promising futures.
Information provided by:
Emily Conners
Valley Youth House
Development Officer
econners@valleyyouthhouse.org
