New! Meeting Them Where They Are: A Panel Discussion on Best Practices for Supporting Youth Experiencing Homelessness

When: Friday, March 21 - 11:00 AM

Duration: 1 hours 30 minutes

Location: Zoom

Event Details:

Across New York State, homelessness is on the rise for young people in both urban and rural areas. Data released by Advocates for Children of New York (AFC) show that 119,320 students in New York City—roughly one in nine—experienced homelessness during the 2022–23 school year. 

Youth experiencing homelessness, specifically those young people ages 12 and older who do not have a permanent place to stay and who are living in unstable circumstances and are not accompanied by an adult caregiver, often have experienced significant adversity and trauma that contributed to their becoming homeless. They also are exposed to additional trauma as a result of their lack of stable housing. It is therefore unsurprising that these youth experience significant mental health needs. And yet, often are unable to access mental health services due to transience, lack of resources, and mistrust of services and providers.  

This panel discussion will help mental health service providers develop a deeper understanding of the unique challenges faced by this population, and provide guidance on how best to tailor treatment interventions to meet the needs of these young people. 

After attending this panel, participants will be able to:

  1. Analyze how trauma and adversity impact homeless young people
  2. Identify basic elements of engagement with homeless youth, including factors to consider and practical tools
  3. Apply strategies for navigating common barriers to care
  4. Evaluate how best to utilize clinical interventions for this population

About the Panelists

Lisa Crook, LMSW

Lisa has devoted her career to supporting young people. She is currently the Chief Program Officer for Covenant House New York, supporting youth experiencing homelessness by providing residential care, education and employment services, anti-human trafficking services, and health and mental health care. Previously she served as Vice President of Justice for Youth and Family Programs at Rising Ground. In this role, Lisa oversaw all residential and community-based juvenile justice programs, along with several intimate partner violence and gender-based violence programs.  Lisa also led the design and implementation of multiple system reform efforts in her previous roles in NYC government at the Administration for Children’s Services and the Department of Juvenile Justice. Lisa is a licensed social worker with a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Kansas and a Masters of Science in Social Work from Columbia University.

Bryan Proano, LCSW

Bryan has been with Covenant House in various capacities for 12 years. He currently serves as the Director of Mental Health and Anti-Human Trafficking Services, supervising a team of  Social Workers in their work supporting youth experiencing homelessness. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Bryan has provided individual and group therapy for youth ages 16-30+ in Covenant House New York’s shelter and scatter site apartment programs throughout New York City. In addition, Bryan co-led the creation of the Covenant House New York Social Work Aftercare initiative, designed to provide continued support for young people after the completion of one of Covenant House New York’s programs. Bryan has been one of the champions of the training and implementation of various Evidence Based Models for the Social Work team including DBT, TF-CBT and EMDR, all to best meet the diverse, ever-changing needs of the youth that Covenant House serves. Bryan is a licensed clinical social worker with a Bachelor of Arts in Forensic Psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a Masters of Science in Social Work from Columbia University. 

Elizabeth Sawka, MSW

Elizabeth has dedicated almost 10 years of her career to supporting young people experiencing homelessness. Elizabeth currently serves as the Administrator of Anti-Human Trafficking at Covenant House New York, supporting young adults by providing individual therapy and psychoeducation to promote resilience, healthy relationships, and emotional regulation skills. Elizabeth oversees wraparound services for trafficking survivors at Covenant House to ensure they are provided with specialized and individualized support. Elizabeth started her career at Covenant House Georgia, eventually moving to Covenant House New York and has served youth in a variety of roles including creative arts, recreation programming, and social work.  Elizabeth is a licensed social worker with a Bachelor of English and Creative Writing from Canisius University and a Masters of Social Work from Fordham University.