The Need: To Support High-Risk Youth in Public Housing

At Opportunity Impact, we believe that every child has the right to the support, services and resources needed to help them reach their full potential.

The reality is that the social problems found in public housing developments pose a real threat to a child’s future. The need for community support services for these high-risk youth is an issue of national concern.

The Opportunity Impact program addresses this need. The five-year program is open to youth living in pubic housing who have little or no access to other support services, and are at an increased risk of youth violence and youth crime. Children enter the program in grade 5, and we are committed to working with them through the important development years until grade 8.

It is our hope that the Opportunity Impact model will be put into action throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, and eventually across the entire country.

Of special concern is engaging young people ages 14 to 24 living in San Francisco’s public housing developments. These youth are often high-risk, have difficulty leaving their neighborhoods, and may not have much access to programs. The youth at the Conference said the City just isn’t doing a good enough job engaging these young people, that engaging them in positive ways will help stop the violence in our communities...<

San Francisco Department of Children, Youth & Their Families 2007

This snapshot of who is impacted by violence in San Francisco emphasizes the need for programs and strategies that improve outcomes for the populations hardest hit. These strategies need to not only reduce violence through enforcement and prosecution but also prevent violence through addressing root issues and providing opportunities that make a difference.

San Francisco Mayor's Office "Safe Summer Report 2007"

Social support services are critical for youth in public housing. Yet comprehensive and sensitive services for young people in public housing are practically non existent.

Columbia University & the American Health Foundation Report