Through activism, Maryland’s homeless youth are driving search for solutions

Young people are emerging as advocates in the crisis of youth homelessness in Maryland. In Prince George’s, Baltimore, Frederick and Howard Counties, those efforts are focused at Youth Action Boards, which work to end young peoples’ homelessness. “This gives [us] the opportunity to come to have a seat at the table with stakeholders and providers so they can hear what is really needed in the community,” said DaeJanae Day, 26 co-chair of the Prince George’s County Youth Action Board, her full-time job with the Department of Social Services, who was among four formerly homeless youth interviewed for this story. Thousands of young people in the state experience homelessness.