Reconnect to Opportunity
Inequities being addressed
Young people of color face institutional and systemic barriers to staying in school and accessing employment. Approximately 1,595 students drop out of school each year in south Seattle and south King County - 71% of these youth are youth of color.[1] These young people face exclusion from all the opportunities available in our growing region.
Substantial changes or progress in 2017
Reconnect to Opportunity (ReOpp) is a regional outreach effort that aims to find disconnected youth and to support them in re-engaging to education or employment training programs that best fit their needs and interests. In 2017, the Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) hired a team of Peer Connectors to connect with youth and encourage them to get back on track. Over the course of 12 months, referrals to ReOpp increased 144%. DCHS also saw an increase of 175% in young people who enroll in programs after referral.
Invest Upstream and Where Needs Are Greatest
ReOpp helps young people find the right pathway to achieve their goals, become self-reliant, and contribute to their communities. In total, 86% of the youth served are young people of color, addressing disparities in education and employment opportunities.
Challenges remaining
Young people served by ReOpp face multiple barriers such as homelessness (33%), a history of mental health needs (41%), current or previous substance use (25%), and a history of arrest or conviction (41%).[2]These barriers often become major obstacles for youth looking to re-engage, and additional services are often needed.
Efforts in 2018
In 2018, DCHS will continue to work with stakeholders across multiple systems in an effort to better align services. For example, staff will reach out to young people in detention to do education and employment planning in advance of their release dates and also canvass King County Housing Authority sites to connect with young adult residents.
In addition, DCHS is working to understand why some youth appear to be less likely to reconnect with education and employment. Staff have begun this work by conducting listening sessions with Latinx youth, who despite making up a large proportion of disconnected youth, consistently re-engage at lower rates.
[1] CEDARS student-level database via ERDC. Averages for all 9th -12th graders across the 2013-2015 school years. Students with a "D" or "U" withdrawal code are flagged as "dropout". This definitions differs from state calculated Adjusted 4-Year Cohort dropout rate (http://www.k12.wa.us/LegisGov/2015documents/GradandDropoutStats2015.pdf). Data prepared by the Community Center for Education Results.
[2] Opportunity Youth Data Project, Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, Research and Data Analysis Division, 2016