How to Intentionally Affirm Youth Experiencing Housing Instability With a Person-Centered Approach

Typically, when speaking, we talk about ourselves using the phrase “I AM.” For example: “I am a boy,” “I am having a good day,” and for some, “I am homeless.” These affirmations can confirm and convince reality into fruition. How identities are affirmed  is important because identities rooted in instability can manifest that instability in real life, especially for youth experiencing homelessness. Again, homelessness is a stage, not an identity. Framing this for young people and referring to them in positive, affirming ways is vital.

There are many ways to affirm youth without perpetuating harmful cycles. They are:

• Address them by their preferred names, aliases, and pronouns.
• Refrain from referring to them as “homeless” and instead say they are “experiencing housing insecurity.”
• Share your own related and unique experiences to offer lessons learned.
• Encourage youth to dream and remain optimistic, despite their current experiences.

Let’s start with the simplest way to protect youth when affirming them: address them using their preferred names and pronouns. If a young person doesn’t openly and immediately share their preferences, ask them. Youth experiencing homelessness are often impacted by other systems and may lack affirming spaces where they feel safe to be free, confident, and to grow. By intentionally requesting and affirming their identities, you introduce, and help maintain, a positive cycle of growth, perseverance, and resilience.

No matter whether you’re a service provider, community partner, family member, friend, or a youth experiencing homelessness, it’s important to understand: homelessness is a stage, not an identity. The affirmation of being “homeless” can potentially perpetuate the condition into a chronic cycle. When you refer to someone as a “person experiencing homelessness,” rather than labeling them as “homeless,” you reinforce that transition is possible and underway. This reframing, rooted in positive and intentional language, can inspire change and personal growth.

When engaging with youth experiencing homelessness, it’s also a powerful opportunity to share relevant and unique experiences. The sharing of lived expertise allows youth to learn from others’ journeys. Of course, everyone’s path is different, and there’s no one-size-fits-all for life, but being open fosters mutual learning and development.Transparency builds trust. And trust, in itself, is healing. It introduces and sustains a cycle of growth, vulnerability, and transformation.

When you’re in survival mode, it can be incredibly difficult to dream. Instability steals focus, forcing you to center your energy on basic needs. In that chaos, it’s easy to forget that dreaming is possible. For many youth, that dream, however distant, is what keeps them alive. In every interaction, remind youth to dream, no matter what. Storms will come, but they don’t last forever. You might as well dance in the rain. Your experiences aren’t punishments, they’re preparation. Don’t ask, “Why me?” Instead, ask, “Why not me?”

Why not be even more affirming when engaging with youth? Young people,regardless of their housing situation,deserve to feel safe to grow, be confident, transparent, and affirmed. When we believe in one another, we create space for authentic connections and blissful engagement.

By addressing youth by their preferred names and pronouns, refraining from referring to them as “homeless,” sharing our lived experiences, and encouraging youth to dream and stay optimistic, we maintain a cycle of positive growth, resilience, transparency, and joy, single handedly adding more fuel to their fire.