FNS aims to prevent youth homelessness by reconnecting youth with their families and chosen natural supports. Natural supports are the adults in addition to their immediate family members that the youth has identified as being part of their support network—for instance, some commonly cited natural supports are legal guardians, family friends, and sports coaches. More importantly, the FNS approach is a wraparound service that seeks to be flexible and holistic, and the framework is grounded in the notion of “meeting the youth and families where they’re at.”
This blog will particularly focus on youth narratives compiled from qualitative interviews conducted with youth throughout their participation in the FNS program. These narratives deal with how FNS’s framework has helped provide wraparound supports for youth to address their unique needs. These supports were of two broad types: emotional and material.