Empowering Homeless Youth: Fenix Youth Project Announces Partnership with The Wellness Center of Maryland

Fenix Youth Project is excited to unveil a new partnership with The Wellness Center of Maryland, led by CEO Naryah Miles LCSW-C, LICSW, CCTP. This dynamic collaboration aims to provide crucial mental health services to homeless youth within our community.

At Fenix Youth Project's Arts & Media Drop-In Center, young individuals will now have access to free 1:1 counseling sessions, courtesy of The Wellness Center of Maryland. Starting in April, licensed counselors will be available during designated homeless youth drop-in hours on Fridays. This initiative is open to any person between the ages of 12 to 24, offering them the opportunity to book a session and meet with a counselor at absolutely no cost and without any obligations.

The Wellness Center of Maryland is renowned for its expertise in Mood Disorders and Complex Trauma. This partnership is a proactive response to the urgent need for mental health support among vulnerable populations, particularly those experiencing homelessness. The goal is to ensure access to care within a safe and creative environment.

Young people will be able to benefit from one free counseling session per month at Fenix Youth Project. In cases where additional sessions are required, the Fenix Youth Project will seamlessly facilitate a warm handoff to The Wellness Center of Maryland.

Amber Green, Executive Director at Fenix Youth Project, shared her thoughts on the collaboration, stating: "Our mission at Fenix Youth Project has always been to provide holistic support to young people, nurturing their creativity and well-being. Partnering with The Wellness Center of Maryland allows us to expand our services to address the crucial mental health needs of homeless youth in our community. Together, we can make a meaningful difference in their lives."

Naryah Miles, CEO of The Wellness Center of Maryland, also expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration, saying: "We are excited to bring our specialized counseling services to the Arts & Media Drop-In Center at Fenix Youth Project. Our goal is to create a supportive environment where young people can explore their mental health and receive the care they deserve."

To book a counseling session or learn more about this partnership, please contact Fenix Youth Project Arts & Media Center at 443-736-7028 or visit https://fenixyouthproject.org/

Dismantling the Unknown of Youth Homelessness Through Effective Counts

Youth and young adult homelessness is a significant problem with serious human capital implications and marked by great disparities. In 2016, in fulfillment of Section 345 of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA), HUD and private philanthropy funded Chapin Hall to carry out the first and only national research and policy initiative on the prevalence and incidence of youth homelessness.

This policy brief summarizes prior evidence developed through Chapin Hall’s Voices of Youth Count project and identifies opportunities to future support regular and reliable data collection.

Read more

2024 Day of Action: Justice for Children and Incarcerated Marylanders

Join Fenix Youth Project Inc. during the 2024 Maryland General Assembly on February 19, as we advocate with fellow Marylanders in our state’s capital. This statewide grassroots lobbying depends on your leadership.

We are partnering with Maryland Youth Justice Coalition, Jews United for Justice, the Baltimore Algebra Project, the Maryland Second Look Coalition, ACLU Maryland. Racial Justice NOW!, Brotherly Love, Advanced Maryland, and more to push for equitable children’s rights policies this session. Together, we can lift up the humanity of all children and call for an end to racist mass incarceration in Maryland.

Recent released HUD data reveals a 16% increase in Families with children in homeless shelters, or were in a visibly unsheltered situation in the previous year. Unaccompanied youth – a 15% increase over the previous year. Available data indicate that youth experiencing homelessness face disproportionate levels of contact with juvenile justice systems. Recent estimates suggest that 46% of youth who have experienced homelessness have been held in juvenile detention centers at some point, relative to 15% of youth in the general population. A society is not successful if detention centers and prisons continue to be our largest form of public housing. 

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