CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Chan’Tavia Smith was a high schooler when she experienced homelessness in Cheyenne.
The 2019 East High graduate spent most of her teenage years in the city’s foster homes and transitioned out of the system at 18. Smith bounced back and forth between her friend’s houses, unsure of what her day-to-day living situation would look like.
It wasn’t until Smith was recommended by a Laramie County School District 1 guidance counselor to join the Unaccompanied Student Initiative, or USI, that she would find a stable home.
Created in 2018, the USI supports unaccompanied 16- to 20-year-olds in Laramie and Natrona County. The initiative owns twin homes in both Cheyenne and Casper for the youths to stay in. Students are given resources to complete their education and learn useful life skills, including how to find their own jobs and housing after graduation.
“It felt good [living] in the house,” Smith said. “I didn’t have to worry about where I had to sleep or where I went for my next meal.”
Under the guidance of USI staff and with the support of five other student housemates, Smith was able to accomplish important milestones. She completed her high school diploma, learned how to drive, opened a bank account and set up her first apartment. Now, the 23-year-old works as a USI House Supervisor in Cheyenne, hoping to inspire the next generation of homeless youth.
“I feel like I’m able to help and show them that you can be successful no matter what your upbringing or your past was,” she said.
Unaccompanied youth refer to those who are not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian and lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence. Youth homelessness is a complex and nationwide issue. The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness report identified 1,099,221 students who experienced homelessness during the 2020–21 school year. This represents 2.2% of all students enrolled in public schools. The report also found that 1.8%, or 1,661, Wyoming students were homeless during that same year.
Children and teenagers who experience homelessness have a higher risk of developing mental health problems, developing substance use disorders, engaging in criminal activity and encountering barriers to education and employment, according to the National Network for Youth Resources.
The most well-known federal law to protect homeless youth is the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. Enacted in 1987, the act requires all local educational agencies to ensure that homeless students have access to the same free, appropriate public education, including public preschools, as provided to other children and youth.
It is because of this act that the USI is able to partner with LCSD1 and other school districts to identify and assist students in need, said Executive Director Jessica Sayers.
“Our number-one focus is education and independent living skills,” she said. “A lot of students feel like they have a family and support system they can lean on and direction to help accomplish their mission.”
Smith agrees with Sayers, saying her life would have turned out differently without the USI.
“I honestly would have dropped out and started working to support myself,” she said.
Future Initiatives
When the initiative first launched in 2018, it served only two Laramie County students. In 2022, that number rose to 44. Sayers said she doesn’t know why there is an increase in unaccompanied youth, but one thing is for sure — the USI needs to quickly expand.
The USI’s first Cheyenne house, the Natalie House, was donated by CEO of Monument Home Builders Ed Ernste in 2018 and could accommodate five students. The initiative then partnered with local organizations to build a separate home, which provided rooms for 10 more teenagers. The Natalie House was sold to Family Promise in 2022.
The initiative expanded into Natrona County in 2020 and, with the help of the local Highland Community Church, could house up to 10 teenagers. In December 2022, the nonprofit broke ground on a new housing project in Mills, which is expected to be completed this month. Funded by a grant from the Wyoming-based Hughes Charitable Foundation, the Mills shelter will be able to house 14 people.
USI staff are now in the process of opening up a Laramie campus in Albany County in 2023–24. They already have identified 10 youth that can benefit from the program. So far, the county school district has signed an MOU with the USI to build a home using federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief, or ESSR, Funds. The funds were issued in 2021 to help sustain the safe operation of schools and expand opportunity for students in need.
Need for Awareness
Sayers said more work needs to be done statewide to raise awareness about homeless youth.
“Awareness is crucial all over the state of Wyoming,” she said. “We would like more than anything to be able to provide our program with those areas of need. In order to do that, we need to raise awareness and have support from communities.”
Like Sayers, Smith believes it is important for community members to actively seek out the USI and similar programs.
“It could be more out there and open, so the community knows,” she said. “It would be better for parents with students to know that they have options.”
