Building Trust by Supporting Homeless Youth and Young Adults Unconditionally

No requirements. No finish line. Nobody gets kicked out. The San Francisco nonprofit At The Crossroads (ATC) practices a model of unconditional support when serving youth and young adults experiencing homelessness. For clients, that means no hoops to jump through to access services and once they’ve joined, clients can call upon the staff for as long as they need. 

“We’re working with people that face the most barriers, the most hardships, and are exposed to the most trauma,” says Program Director Demaree Miller. “So to design a program that has a ton of requirements to access services, well that doesn’t make much sense to me.”

For the last 24 years, At The Crossroads has been providing barriers-free, long-term services — counseling, case management, food, clothing — to homeless and unstably housed youth and young adults in San Francisco’s Mid-Market neighborhood and across the city. A staple of At The Crossroads is nighttime outreach, where they walk the street talking with people and handing out things like socks, first aid supplies, and sandwiches. Anyone they talk to can be considered a client. 

At The Crossroads’ Executive Director Charles Lerner says the organization prides itself on its commitment to serving clients unconditionally and for the long term — and he means long term.

“Once you’re a client, you’re always part of the ATC family,” Lerner says. “Trust is really, really hard to build with our clients, especially those who’ve experienced a lot of trauma.” 

The age eligibility for clients is between 16 to 29, and the staff will continue to support a client up to 37, and then informally after that.

Sticking with the clients no matter what builds trust, Lerner says. It’s that trust that makes everything ATC does possible. In fact, according to At The Crossroads, nine out of 10 clients achieve one or more of their goals, whether that’s securing housing, finding employment, going to school, or addressing substance use. 

“Trust is a really big part of social capital,” Miller explains. “It allows clients to work on their goals at their own pace and in the way that they want — not in a way that we prescribe. We support each client’s agency and decision-making process. I think that’s what ensures that the changes they make in their lives are sustainable.”

Miller adds that just because a client finds a home or lands a job doesn’t mean they no longer require counseling or support. “Maintaining these things is as challenging as anything else,” Miller says. “I can’t think of anybody I’ve encountered — regardless of where I’ve seen them or what stage of life they’re in — who accomplishes something and then the story’s over.”