Complete your intake to secure a spot at the Expungement Clinic through May 17, 2023.
Expungement Clinic will occur Wednesday, May 24, 2023, 5:00 PM - 7:00 pm.
This will take place at the Newton Community Center, 306 Newton St. Salisbury, MD
Why Host Homes?
Why Host Homes? Host home programs are a promising addition to the array of housing options available to youth. Broadly, host home programs partner with community members, or hosts, who provide housing for a young person in their home. Program staff supports both the host and the youth by helping to set up housing agreements, provide financial support, connect youth to other services, and mediating conflict.
One of the main benefits of the host home model is its relatively low cost compared to brick-and-mortar housing programs and the private rental market. Because youth stay in existing homes or apartments, the programs require no infrastructure investment. Housing programs that seek to place youth in private rented accommodations face the challenge of limited affordable housing options. Host homes can be geographically dispersed, and capacity can grow or shrink according to need. These factors also make the model well-suited to rural areas, which rarely have youth-centered homeless services despite having a similar rate of youth homelessness as cities and suburbs (Morton et al., 2018).
Fenix Youth Project Inc. is recruiting host homes for our 14-24 aged clients!
DOJ Issues Letter to Courts Regarding Fines and Fees for Youth and Adults
The Justice Department on April 20, 2023 issued a Dear Colleague Letter for state and local courts and juvenile justice agencies regarding the imposition and enforcement of fines and fees for adults and youth. The letter addresses common court-imposed fines and fees practices, and cautions against those practices that may be unlawful, unfairly penalize individuals who are unable to pay or otherwise have a discriminatory effect. The department provides this letter as part of its ongoing commitment to fairness, economic justice and combating the policies that disproportionately contribute to justice system involvement for low-income communities.
The letter highlights a number of key issues regarding fines and fees, such as the importance of conducting a meaningful ability-to-pay assessment before imposing adverse consequences for failure to pay, considering alternatives to fines and fees, guarding against excessive penalties and ensuring due process protections, including the assistance of counsel when appropriate.
The letter reminds court systems and other federal financial assistance recipients of their ongoing obligations not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex and disability; to provide meaningful access to individuals with limited English proficiency; and to ensure that appropriate recordkeeping can help identify and avoid potential violations of federal nondiscrimination laws. The department will also follow up on this letter by building a best practices guide, highlighting innovative work by states and court leaders in this area.