Building Better Safety Net Programs through Positive Youth Development

As young people develop from adolescents to adults, they need the stability of adequate food, cash, housing, and access to medical care. Young people without sufficient income or family support may turn to public safety net programs to meet these needs. Yet the current design and implementation of public benefits generally does not accommodate the complex realities of young people’s lives, their developmental stage, or their strengths. Designing and implementing public benefits programs consistent with positive youth development principles can help youth access these vital supports.

Public benefits to address basic needs are delivered through fragmented programs that leave many people of all ages without adequate support. For young people, their development stage and unique age-related challenges make these gaps even larger and more harmful. For example, young people who are neither parents nor living with their own parents may not be eligible or prioritized for some programs. Strict program rules and requirements also may not accommodate life circumstances common to this age group, like instability in living arrangements or limited access to personal documentation. Whether young people successfully access these critical supports can shape their life trajectories for better or worse.

A positive youth development approach to public benefits programs can help put service delivery and youth outcomes on the right path. Positive youth development is an intentional approach to policy and practice that engages youth within their communities, families, peer groups, school, and organizations to advance youth well-being. It is an inclusive and strengths-based approach designed to improve youth outcomes in education, work, and life. 

In the context of federal policy, positive youth development intentionally advances youth well-being by recognizing and enhancing young people’s assets and strengths; ​engaging young people in program design and delivery; and improving youth outcomes by providing equitable, high-quality opportunities in community-based settings that:

  • Address barriers to participation; ​
  • Emphasize skill-building; ​
  • Foster developmental relationships; ​
  • Establish supportive environments that promote belonging, autonomy, youth voice, leadership, and contribution; ​and
  • Center and advance equity in a manner that is actionable and measurable for all youth. ​

Building on these positive youth development principles, public agencies administering safety net programs can take the following steps to improve access to supports that can set up young people for long-term success in life. These steps are drawn from the Urban Institute’s checklist for benefit agencies to better help young people access safety net supports.

  • Support young people in accessing safety net programs
    • Designate staff who work specifically with young people and who understand the unique challenges they face.
    • Conduct youth-focused outreach by working with young people to reach out to their peers, using social media, and working with trusted intermediaries.
    • Collaborate with other agencies to create a mobile app, database, map, or pamphlet that explains where, what, and how each agency and organization in the area serves young people.
    • Make applications more accessible by ensuring they are easily understood and available in different languages and at appropriate literacy levels, that young people can get help filling them out, and that young people are not penalized for inadvertent paperwork mistakes.
    • Provide flexible options to access the agency, including in-person, by phone, and online, and offer flexible office hours.
    • Make requirements for benefits access more flexible, including the kinds and amount of documentation needed to access benefits.
    • Take a comprehensive approach to benefits for young people by working with other benefit agencies to improve coordination, reduce gaps, and recognize young people’s unique needs, including groups facing extra challenges such as those transitioning from foster care, experiencing homelessness, being young parents, or having been involved with the legal system.
  • Empower and support young people in decision-making
    • Make sure staff members working with young people show respect, empathy, and genuine care for their growth.
    • Support young people in learning about and understanding how to access benefits so they can manage the process on their own.
    • Ensure young people have the information they need to make informed decisions about program participation.
    • Include young people as collaborators in agency or office decision-making and listen to their advice.
    • Consult young people to identify ways to simplify benefits access and retention, as their experiences can provide important insights into the challenges they face accessing benefit programs.
  • Replace punitive approaches with support and trust
    • Recognize the importance of mental health and trauma-informed supports for young people, and work to help them access mental health services.
    • Develop systems of mutual accountability and relationship building that support young people, even when they make mistakes. Apply harm-reduction approaches that lessen social or physical consequences and ensure young people feel safe and respected.

Approaching benefit delivery with a positive youth development lens can be key for improving youth outcomes in education, work, and life.

 

Heather Hahn and Laura Wagner from the Urban Institute and Meghan McCann, Vice President of State Policy at the Forum for Youth Investment, co-authored this blog.