Homeless Youth Awareness Month
Advocacy Communications Strategy
Goal
Youth homelessness is an unseen problem in DC because of youth’s own ability to hide the fact they
have no home. Through their own resourcefulness, youth often jump from friends couch to friends
couch or sleep hidden on playgrounds away from formal shelters where others may see. Because youth
want to keep their dignity intact, like any human being, DC citizens often understand homelessness
through the small subset they see on the streets rather than the large group of youth who are able to
hide their struggles. Through a collaborative communications strategy, we can keep the dignity of youth,
while shedding light and understanding on this unseen problem in DC.
Messaging
DC youth are resourceful, smart, proud, and social individuals. It is no wonder why they are inclined to
escape the stigma of homelessness. We must craft our messaging around the resilience of youth rather
than just the problem of homelessness. Through this resilience we can point out that there is a solution
to the problem. Youth want to help themselves; they just need the resources to do it.
Audience
We provide key twitter handles to a few social media influencers and public officials. Target some of
your messages at councilmembers and the media so that together we can raise the consciousness of
youth homelessness. Follow tweets about youth with the hashtag #UnmaskYH and tweets about the End
Youth Homelessness Plan with #EndYH so we can follow each other’s conversations around
homelessness and work together to spread the message.
TWITTER HANDLES
Content
For social media, utilize tweets, pics, and the hashtags. Whenever possible, link to resources so others
may learn more and have a deeper understanding of the issue past 140 characters. Below are examples
that DCAYA will be utilizing and encourage you to use as well. We also encourage you to create your
own content and share it with the DCAYA community so we may build off of each other’s momentum
and broaden our social reach.
EXAMPLE TWEETS
RESOURCES
MEMBER EVENTS
Plan
to
End Youth
Homelessness :
#Endyh
Every good communications strategy needs a rallying point beyond the general message. Community
members need to know there is a solution. Our rallying point is The Plan to End Youth Homelessness in
DC, #EndYH.
Key stakeholders who work directly with homeless youth drafted a comprehensive strategic plan to
address the problem of youth homelessness in the District. There are links to the plan and a sign-on
letter. The sign-on letter is designed to be used at events, so attendees may actively advocate for DC
youth and write directly to their councilmembers why they believe DC should make ending youth
homelessness a priority.
DCAYA’s target is to gather 500 or more sign-on letters to personally give the DC Council so they know
DC is serious about enhancing our cities resources to house homeless youth and connect them to
opportunities, ending the cycle of homelessness.
To make this happen, we need members to ask advocates & community members to fill out sign-on
letters. Members can then send the sign-on letters to DCAYA so collectively we can approach the DC
Council with a supported plan to end youth homelessness.
PLAN TO END YOUTH HOMELESSNESS IN DC
E-SIGN-ON LETTER
DOWNLOAD PERSONALIZED SIGN-ON LETTER
DOWNLOAD PREPOPULATED SIGN-ON LETTER