P&P December 2015

How Analytics Can Reveal a Big-Picture View of At-Risk Youth, and the Service Mix that Can Help Them

By Elizabeth Gaines and Gary Glickman

outh deserve all the help they can get to be ready for college, work, and life. Currently, disadvantaged youth have access to a variety of uncoordinated, inflexible, and imprecise services. Juvenile justice, labor, health, education, housing, and human service agencies work independently, creating a fragmented system in which youth can be overlooked and underserved. It is difficult and confusing enough to transition from child- hood to adulthood. But imagine the complexity as vulnerable young people try to navigate a multifaceted system—and in some cases—on their own. Even fundamentals, such as the age at which a youth is considered an adult and eligible for programs and services, vary from system to system.

Illustration by Chris Campbell

13

December 2015   Policy&Practice