From left to right: Jayden Stukes [Synergy in Schools Youth Ambassador, Valley Youth House], Janiyah Heyward [Synergy in Schools Youth Ambassador, Valley Youth House], Kadijah Chambers [Synergy in Schools Peer Advocate, Valley Youth House], Alexandria Rivera [Synergy in Schools Youth Advisory Board Member, Valley Youth House], Lita Waters [Synergy in Schools Case Manager, Valley Youth House], Lisa Weingartner [Executive Vice President for Programs, Valley Youth House], Brian Knight [Director of Community Engagement, Homeless Children’s Education Fund], Quadirah Locus [Synergy in Schools Program Supervisor, Valley Youth House], Sonia Pitzi [ECYEH Region 3 Coordinator, York Learning Center], Gina Curry [Pennsylvania State Representative], and Erika Acevedo [Synergy in Schools Case Manager, Valley Youth House]
Harrisburg, PA – Valley Youth House (VYH) joined state lawmakers, education partners, and youth leaders at the Pennsylvania Capitol to advocate for increased funding to support students experiencing homelessness. Representing frontline providers, Quadirah Locus, Supervisor of VYH’s Synergy in Schools program, spoke to the urgent need to provide additional funding to the Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness (ECYEH) office.
Quadirah thanked Representatives Ismail Smith-Wade-El and Gina Curry for inviting VYH to speak in support of House Resolution 337, a resolution designating the week of November 17 through 21, 2025, as “Pennsylvania Education for Students Experiencing Homelessness Awareness Week” and November 21, 2025, as “Red Shirt Day” in Pennsylvania, and highlighted the sharp rise in student homelessness in Philadelphia, from 8,363 in the 2021-2022 school year to more than 10,000 in 2023-2024. She noted the significant academic impacts of homelessness and the deep racial disparities, with more than 90% of affected students being youth of color.
“Our resolution is a call to awareness and a call to action,” Smith-Wade-El said. “It makes Pennsylvanians aware of the youth homelessness crisis in PA, which has exploded in the past 10 years from just over 19,000 students to exceeding 50,000 today. It calls on us to recognize that the resources for homeless youth are even more limited due to federal funding cuts. It calls on us to act by planning for and supporting assistance programs so that our homeless youth have continued access to a quality education, as is their right. If we don’t do anything, student homelessness will ultimately turn into adult homelessness—a prison of endless struggle and insecurity. Housing is the surest way for people to gain security in their lives. We must act now for our homeless community and for Pennsylvania.”
Quadirah also acknowledged the School District of Philadelphia’s historic 2023 investment in ECYEH, which expanded school-based supports and community partnerships. Through this initiative, Valley Youth House and partner organizations served more than 1,000 students in the first year, providing on-site counseling, professional development, enrichment programming, and direct outreach to students who had disengaged from school.
An experienced youth services professional, Quadirah brings a strong background in crisis intervention, emergency housing navigation, and trauma-informed case management. She has supported youth experiencing homelessness, survivors of violence, and system-involved young people, always centering empowerment, equity, and collaboration. In her remarks, she emphasized the crucial role of youth leadership in shaping responsive services and solutions.
For more than five decades, Valley Youth House has been a pillar of support and hope for young people and families across Pennsylvania. Founded in 1973 as a single shelter in Bethlehem, VYH has grown into a statewide movement for youth empowerment, serving nearly 500,000 people, including 18,000 youth and families in 2024 alone. Today, VYH operates in 16 counties across Pennsylvania, carrying forward its mission to be the catalyst for youth to achieve their desired futures through genuine relationships that support families, ensure safe places, and build community connections.
Quadirah urged lawmakers to sustain and expand investment in these critical supports and called for passage of key housing and education legislation, including Pennsylvania House Bills 729, 730, and 1175. “We are building a future where no young person is left without support or a home,” she said.
