Urban Street Angels, Lucky Duck Foundation, David C. Copley Foundation, County of San Diego, and Regional Task Force on Homelessness Unite to Launch
“HarborTay” – New Transitional Housing for Transition-Age Homeless Youth (TAY)
Urban Street Angels, Lucky Duck Foundation, David C. Copley Foundation, County of San Diego, and Regional Task Force on Homelessness today announced the opening of HarborTAY, new transitional housing for youth ages 18-24 who are overcoming homelessness. Through this innovative public-private partnership, 54 beds and wraparound services will be provided to help nearly 100 youth per year move inside to stabilize and start their journey to prosperity.
The Lucky Duck Foundation and the David C. Copley Foundation are both providing start-up funding to activate the rooms to help youth quickly exit homelessness. The County of San Diego and Regional Task Force on Homelessness will provide ongoing operating funding so that Urban Street Angels, a leading service provider for homeless youth, can help youth overcome homelessness and achieve self-sustainability. The 34 room property is located near downtown San Diego.
“This project is about more than just shelter – it’s about hope, empowerment, and a path forward,” said Urban Street Angels Founder & CEO, Eric Lovett-Maerz. “We’re proud to work with the Lucky Duck Foundation, the David C. Copley Foundation, the County of San Diego, and the Regional Task Force on Homelessness to create a place where young people can find stability and pursue their full potential and most importantly avoid homelessness altogether. We believe in the resilience of youth and seek to provide them safety and hope every day.”
HarborTAY will provide housing, food, basic necessities, wraparound case management, peer support, and career development through Urban Street Angels’ Padres 5 Tool Trade Academy. It is expected youth will stay from six to nine months before securing their own employment and housing.
“There is no greater form of homeless prevention than helping youth put it behind them once and for all,” said Drew Moser, CEO of the Lucky Duck Foundation. “Given that half of the chronically homeless population suffered from homelessness as a youth, we see this kind of intervention as both an immediate and long-term strategy. HarborTAY will be a safe haven and a launching pad for healing, growth, and independence. We are very pleased to activate this critically needed housing and resource.”
“Every young person deserves the opportunity to build a future filled with hope and possibility,” said Tamera Kohler, CEO of the Regional Task Force on Homelessness. “HarborTAY represents what is possible when we invest not only in housing, but in opportunity. Stable housing provides the foundation, while education, employment, and community create the pathway forward. Together, these investments help disrupt cycles of homelessness and poverty by replacing crisis with opportunity and creating pathways to long-term independence. This is how we change not only individual lives, but the trajectory of future generations. That is exactly what our funding, the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program, was designed to prove – that when we invest early in young people, we don’t simply respond to homelessness; we create the conditions for lifelong stability, economic mobility, and lasting community impact.”
The David C. Copley Foundation is proud to continue its strategic partnership with Urban Street Angels and the Lucky Duck Foundation to give our youth shelter and resources to live a meaningful life by avoiding homelessness.
“We should not wait until a young person has spent years on the street before we step in,” said San Diego County Board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer. “HarborTAY will put a roof over young people’s heads, connect them to careers, and give them a real chance to build a stable life before a temporary crisis becomes chronic homelessness.”
