New Report: Newcomer Immigrant Youth and Their Families Urgently Need Better Support Systems

NCYL’s 'Uplifting Voices, Identifying Solutions' report is based on extensive interviews with immigrant youth and service providers in California's San Francisco Bay Area

OAKLAND, Calif. — A new report released today by the National Center for Youth Law (NCYL) highlights the urgent need for coordinated, holistic systems to better support newcomer immigrant youth and their families in the U.S. The report is based on extensive interviews with immigrant youth and service providers throughout California's San Francisco Bay Area.

"Newcomer Immigrant Youth In the Bay Area: Uplifting Voices, Identifying Solutions," developed through NCYL’s focus groups with 88 newcomer youth and interviews with 32 service providers, highlights how newcomer youths’ experiences are shaped by overlapping systemic barriers that interact to compound inequities. For example, legal insecurity can lead to housing insecurity, which makes it difficult to attend and succeed in school. 

“When you arrive here, you’re stepping out of your comfort zone," said a participating youth. "Nothing is the same.”

Among the challenges raised by youth and providers are the difficulties of finding and affording legal representation and safe housing, learning English and adjusting to the U.S. school environment, and balancing school and work. NCYL's report also shares participants' recommendations for integrated solutions that ensure newcomer youth have access to the education, legal representation, mental health supports, and community tools and resources they need to thrive. 

NCYL advocates, who have worked alongside and safeguarded the rights of immigrant children for decades, know that when communities are unprepared to meet newcomer youths’ needs, these young people are left especially vulnerable to exploitation and other lasting harms. This report aims to amplify these experiences and center them in future advocacy efforts.

NCYL’s report also uplifts crucial California state initiatives, such as the Children’s Holistic Immigration Representation Project (CHIRP), Newcomer Education and Well-Being (CalNEW) program, and the Opportunities for Youth (OFY) Project, that are helping to fill gaps for newcomer youth. Funding these vital programs is necessary to ensure that newcomer youth, many of whom arrive in the U.S. with nothing, can access needed services, reliable information, and resources to support their safety and well-being.

“Newcomer youth have tremendous strength and potential, and they can thrive when the systems around them are equipped to support their success,” said Melissa Adamson, a Senior Attorney at NCYL and the report's author. “California has made important investments in innovative programs that support newcomers. We must sustain and strengthen this investment to ensure these youth have the safety, stability, and opportunities every young person deserves.”

Key Findings and Recommendations

NCYL’s report uses the Bay Area as a case study for findings that can apply to communities across the state and country. Even with the Bay Area's resources, participants reported encountering fragmented systems and limited access to critical services. In NCYL’s focus groups and interviews, youth and providers identified several interconnected priorities for building more just and responsive systems, specifically as they relate to education, legal services, employment, mental health, housing, and social services. These priorities include:

• Expanding and funding legal representation and social case management supports for newcomer youth and families;
• Strengthening coordination across education, legal, health, and social service sectors to close service gaps and ensure newcomer youth don’t fall through the cracks;
• Positioning schools to function as service hubs by supporting them to supplement academic instruction with wraparound supports in trusted, accessible settings;
• Investing more deeply in peer programming, recreation, and community programs to foster belonging, empowerment, and healing; and
• Creating flexible educational pathways, such as alternative or virtual class schedules, that allow youth balancing work and school to stay engaged and complete their education.

A school-based provider explained how funding wraparound services at school can make a real difference in young people's lives:

“You know, we always have to fight for it. Funding is always threatened. We have a wellness center on campus that has bilingual counselors, and medical services like dental and vision – it’s amazing and so helpful for these kids. But the majority of schools do not have these kinds of services, and the vast majority of schools have some newcomers in their district.”

As NCYL’s report makes clear, sustained investment in innovative programs like CHIRP, CalNEW and OFY is essential to the well-being of newcomer youth and their families. Amid a challenging federal landscape and constrained state budgets, NCYL urges policymakers, educators, funders, and community leaders to work together toward lasting solutions that advance equity and opportunity for all newcomer youth.

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The National Center for Youth Law centers youth through research, community collaboration, impact litigation, and policy advocacy that fundamentally transforms our nation's approach to education, health, immigration, foster care, and youth justice. Our vision is a world in which every child thrives and has a full and fair opportunity to achieve the future they envision for themselves.