Youth Homelessness Orgs Announce New Directors

by Laura Glesby The New Haven independent

Two partnering youth homelessness nonprofits are now under new leadership.

Y2Y, a youth homelessness services organization that provides shelter specifically for young adults, announced Tuesday that Tim Maguire has been appointed as the organization’s new executive director. Maguire stepped down as executive director of Youth Continuum at the end of February.

For nearly a decade, Y2Y has operated a youth-run homeless shelter in Cambridge, Mass. For over seven years, the organization has sought to open a parallel location in New Haven. A 2018 proposal for the shelter to be located in Wooster Square and run in conjunction with Youth Continuum prompted fierce opposition from some neighbors, and the plan has not yet come to fruition. (In recent years, Youth Continuum, which Maguire led for a year and a half, has since played a key role in continuing to advocate and secure funding for the project.)

Y2Y wrote in a statement on Tuesday that Maguire is ​“dedicated to empowering youth and strengthening communities,” and ​“remains committed to ending youth homelessness and is eager to expand his work into Massachusetts to bring his skills and leadership to support homeless youth in Cambridge.”

Meanwhile, Yari Ijeh is now serving as the interim executive director of Youth Continuum, which runs crisis housing, therapeutic group homes, human trafficking support, street outreach, and a warming center specifically for teens and young adults. Ijeh is continuing her work as the chief business development officer at Clifford Beers Community Health Partners, the umbrella organization overseeing Youth Continuum, while taking on the interim role at Youth Continuum.

Youth Continuum Board Chair Allison Cunningham wrote in a March 3 statement that ​“Yari brings over 26 years of experience in child welfare, adolescent services, and nonprofit leadership, including her tenure with the Connecticut Department of Children and Families where she worked extensively in child protection and specialized in youth services.”

“We want to assure you that Youth Continuum remains deeply committed to its mission, and this leadership transition will not disrupt our ability to serve young people in need,” Cunningham wrote. ​“With the full support of our board, CBCHP, and its network of affiliates, we are confident in a strong path forward.”

Yari Ijeh, right.