How 100 Days Sparked a Movement to End Youth Homelessness
In 2016, Cleveland took on an ambitious challenge: to house 100 youth experiencing homelessness in just 100 days.
Cleveland was one of only three cities nationwide selected to participate in the first 100-Day Challenge to End Youth Homelessness, a bold initiative led locally by A Place 4 Me and supported by A Way Home America and the Rapid Results Institute. The challenge was simple in concept but powerful in execution: bring together community partners, focus on shared goals, and move with urgency to transform how systems respond to youth homelessness.
The urgency of the 100-Day Challenge created space for innovation, broke down silos, and brought partners together in a way that had not happened before. What started as a time-limited effort became the catalyst for long-term collaboration and commitment.
At the time, Kate Lodge, then Executive Director of A Place 4 Me, emphasized the urgent need for this work, saying:
“This is a collaborative in the community concerned with homelessness and youth aging out of foster care. There are 500 people a year age 18 to 24 in Cleveland in a shelter—100 people on any given night—and this doesn’t even count the people not showing up.” (Quote originally published by FreshWater Cleveland, September 19, 2016.)
Today, the spirit of the 100-Day Challenge lives on through A Place 4 Me’s Youth Homelessness Membership Collaborative. This Collaborative now includes more than 20 organizations working side by side to prevent and end homelessness for young people ages 16 to 24.
The Collaborative focuses on:
Youth-centered care coordination
Expanding access to safe, stable housing
Addressing the unique needs of young people aging out of foster care
Driving systems change to eliminate barriers to stability
The lessons learned from the 100-Day Challenge continue to shape Cleveland's efforts to ensure that every young person has a safe place to call home and a pathway to success.
As one young person once shared: "It may seem dark right now, but there is going to be light at the end if you keep pushing toward greatness. This challenge is really close to me because it's an issue that needs to be addressed."
