A new generation of nonprofit organizations are lending a hand to help with homelessness in the city. Some are even being led by passionate twenty-somethings, and one was founded by a teenager not yet old enough to vote.

 

SustainABLE Start is run by more than 80 high-schoolers across the country. Founded by Chloe Trujillo, a 17-year-old, high school senior, the organization pays special attention to the hygiene needs of the homeless population.

 

By distributing what are described as eco-friendly hygiene kits throughout the city, the group hopes to make an impact on one of the most vulnerable populations in NYC. “Within shelters, and also on the street, people need to find ways to keep themselves clean and hygienic, but often that’s not their top priority,” Trujillo said. “It’s often food and clothing.”

 

Indeed, although food and clothing are usually the main drivers of the group’s efforts to help the homeless, Trujillo sees a particularly somber reason to get the hygiene kits to the shelters, and into the hands of those living on the streets. “Transmittable diseases spread at one of the highest rates among people experiencing homelessness,” she said.

 

Indeed, in July 2020, Norwood News reported on how residents of the Jerome Avenue Men’s Shelter (JAMS) in the Norwood section of the Bronx were quietly moved to a hotel in Manhattan due to concerns over coronavirus transmission.

 

Underscoring the importance of protecting the homeless population during the pandemic, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced during his recent State of the State address on Jan. 11 that people who work and live at homeless shelters would be included in Phase 1B of the COVID-19 vaccine roll-out. The governor went on to describe the growth of the homeless population as a “national urban crisis.”

 

Trujillo may not have the resources to tackle a national crisis just yet, but her efforts are being felt across the city at 55 locations. A recent report by the NYC Department of Homeless Services (DHS) dated Jan. 14, 2021 showed that, citywide, 52,895 individuals were housed in shelters, 17,256 of whom were children.

 

Last November, the Norwood News reported how the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York (EDNY) approved a class action settlement in C.W. v. The City of New York, which had the effect of expanding access to essential, life-saving youth programs and services for runaway and homeless youth aged 16 to 20 in New York City.

 

Under the settlement, the City was required to implement procedural changes regarding how city agencies would manage homeless youth, improving the system for all young people ages 16 to 20 who would enter it in the future.

In the Bronx, SustainABLE Start has partnered with BronxWorks to distribute hygiene kits to places like JAMS. They also provide kits to Maya’s Place, a shelter for young women in Morris Heights. The kits include items such as masks, socks, wet wipes, deodorant, a toothbrush, toothpaste, hand sanitizer, and menstrual products, among others. The kits are put together in a community space in the building Trujillo lives in with her family on the Upper Westside of Manhattan.

 

Now that its off the ground, Trujillo said the nonprofit is positioning itself for sustained success with her team developing an ability to listen, reassess, and adapt to the needs of the people they serve. Through BronxWorks, for example, the group has received feedback on how popular the socks (included in the kits) have been among shelter residents. “They mentioned the socks were super helpful,” Trujillo said. “We keep receiving donations of socks. I always have them sent to BronxWorks and I know a lot of them do go to the Jerome Avenue Men’s Shelter.”

 

The idea for SustainABLE Start was set in motion when Trujillo and Victoria Buendia-Serrano, both students at the Dwight School, an independent college-prep school, needed help finding a subway entrance in Manhattan. A homeless person helped them find one, and from that encounter, they decided to pick up hygiene products at a local dollar store to distribute to people they saw in the subway who appeared to need help. They said creating SustainABLE Start was their way of “paying it forward.”

 

Since March 2020, the nonprofit has raised $18,000 to buy the items needed for the kits. “We used the momentum from getting all this attention, and making all the initial kits, to partner with local companies,” Trujillo said. “Our current price per kit that we have to pay out of pocket is around $4 but… all of the value of the items is around $40.”

 

Helping the homeless stay hygienic is not the only way in which young people are giving back. In 2011, at 19, Andrew Heinrich founded Project Rousseau, a nonprofit organization that seeks to help young people who are facing issues like hunger, poverty, and homelessness, to continue their path to higher education.

 

When Heinrich was looking for a partner organization with outreach capabilities, SustainABLE Start caught his attention. “We were particularly drawn to them because they are team-led and team-run,” Heinrich said. “So, we reached out to them and in true fashion, they were very enthusiastic.”

 

With ten years of successful nonprofit management behind him, Heinrich sees special qualities in Trujillo when it comes to such work. “She’s a phenomenal leader and learner at the same time which is, ultimately, the best form of leadership,” he said.

 

Currently, Trujillo is busy filling out college applications and writing admission essays, but by next fall, she hopes to expand the nonprofit by establishing a chapter in Philadelphia. She is aware, however, of the challenges ahead in growing the organization. “I think the challenge that we’re definitely trying to overcome now is to establish ourselves as a nonprofit that didn’t just do a lot in the beginning, and that we’re continually helping,” she said.

 

*Síle Moloney contributed to this story