MEET MORE 2025 UNITY AWARD WINNERS
UNHOUSED YOUTH are all around us, but most of us don’t see them. Every year in Milwaukee, nearly 12,000 people ages 10-24 experience some kind of homelessness, from living in a car or couch-hopping with their family to staying in a shelter.
“Despite this prevalence, youth homelessness is overlooked by elected officials, grant makers and donors, and the current need far outpaces available resources and services,” says Tim Baack, president and CEO of Pathfinders.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
The Milwaukee-based nonprofit is dedicated to supporting these young people, most of whom live well below the federal poverty limit.
Pathfinders has a youth shelter on the East Side of Milwaukee and a drop-in center that offers food, clothes, laundry, toiletries, showers and a safe social space for youth affected by homelessness. The center also provides education on physical and mental health topics, along with employment support.
Unique to Pathfinders is the Power of Paths (POP) Youth Action Board, which allows young people over age 11 to speak out about the issues that matter to them – both within Pathfinders and the wider community. The group also advocates for issues affecting youth homelessness, educating stakeholders – from the Milwaukee County Youth Commission to state lawmakers – and giving voice to the marginalized people most likely to be impacted by homelessness.
“To us, unity means determining what’s at the center of power and amplifying voices of those who are on the opposite spectrum of power,” says Alondra Clark, POP’s 25-year-old co-vice president.
Along with its advocacy work, POP members build relationships with youth receiving Pathfinders services, helping to create a safe space where participants can begin to address their trauma. With the positive influence of mentors who have personal experience with homelessness, young unhoused people can begin to rebuild their lives.
In 2023, POP secured $3.1 million in federal funding to craft and implement a plan for proven youth homelessness solutions, like rapid rehousing and transitional living programs, and child care support so young parents can continue pursuing education and employment. Along with its grant-funded projects, POP also leads Zero Youth Corrections, a program that addresses issues affecting youth in the justice system.
POP’s other co-vice president, 26-year-old Markell Crawford, cites Pathfinders’ impact on his own experience of youth homelessness as his driving force for volunteering.
“It was a very safe community where I felt a sense of family I didn’t have,” he says. “I was learning from people I would never otherwise be around, and they molded me in a way that made me want to contribute to the community.”
An Organization That Inspires Pathfinders Chief Program Officer DeShanda Williams-Clark:
“I am inspired by the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center. Over time, the center has experienced a lot of change in leadership and funding but has continued to remain a safe space for queer young people and elders.”
How can people create more unity in Milwaukee?
DeShanda Williams-Clark: “Be purposeful and intentional in our practice and efforts, and less transactional when serving our community. We have to be vulnerable in our communication and relationships and build trust with one another. Everyone should be treated as assets and feel aligned with working toward unity.”
