Providing opportunities to homeless at-risk youth.
Youth Improvement Services is a nonprofit based in Jackson, Mississippi that began in December of 2018 to assist youth, especially in the LGBTQ community, who experience homelessness. YIS provides housing and offers support services and skill training. They are currently doing outreach to find sponsors to provide funds and resources to assist with acquiring more housing.
The grant from the LGBTQ Fund of Mississippi will help Youth Improvement Services provide emergency housing for LGBTQ people, especially transgender youth, aged 18-24.
“There was a study conducted by the LGBTQ Fund and Mississippi State University that identified that transgender youth have an urgent need for housing. So, we have been filling that gap,” said Deroll Barrett, Executive Director of Youth Improvement Services.
Barrett taught for Job Corps, a program for 16-24 year old youth, for fifteen years. He realized that a large population of LGBTQ students needed job help, because a lot of LGBTQ youth faced adversity that affected their success in high school. Barrett also realized that a lot of them were homeless, including one of his mentees, and that inspired him to start researching solutions.
“Based on my research, there were organizations in Jackson and in the state of Mississippi that provided services to the homeless population, but not specifically to youth or LGBTQ youth. So, when it came to time for winter and summer breaks, these young people were homeless, and they didn’t have anywhere to go. We tried to reach out to shelters and other organizations, and it was just a brick wall. We knew that there was an urgent need in the community, and we decided to do something about it,” said Barrett.
Access to Stability
“Just in general, LGBTQ people are treated as second class citizens in Mississippi, and some of them are disowned by their families and lack access to resources. Those circumstances may cause them to become homeless. I think this work is important because it will contribute to the most disadvantaged. It will set them on a path to improving their own lives and bringing in some mode of stability, so that they can become independent,” said Barrett.
Youth Improvement Services cares about the wellbeing of LGBTQ youth, and they are committed to providing solutions for LGBTQ issues. They partner with many different local organizations that serve the community in order to make life better for LGBTQ people in Mississippi. Their vision is to end homelessness for LGBTQ youth in the state of Mississippi, and empower youth by giving them the resources that they need to live independently.
“Myself being a gay man who migrated from Jamaica, living in Mississippi was a challenge. I think that the organization being in Mississippi, rather than coming in from somewhere else, is important because we’re able to directly respond to the challenges that exist in the state. We can become a part of the solution,” said Barrett.
Learn more about Youth Improvement Services and donate to their cause on their website, or visit their Facebook or Instagram.