Communities across New York state are finding creative solutions to what's being called a housing crisis. The latest data from the state Comptroller’s Office shows New York had one of the highest rates of homelessness in the country last year. A new initiative is working to make sure teens and "tweens" always have a place to lay their heads.

The new Dr. Alejandro Garcia Runaway and Homeless Youth House in Syracuse will house nine youth between the ages of 12-17 who are seeking emergency shelter.

“We need to throw way more resources at this problem," said Dan Sieburg, CEO of the Rescue Mission Alliance of Syracuse. "And until we do that, we don't even know how big the need is.”

Those in the area's communities say too many children do not have a steady place to stay.

“Across the state, there’s well over 5,000 kids that are homeless each year," said Amber Vanderploeg, the chief program officer of the Rescue Mission Alliance of Syracuse.

A lack of affordable housing and rising rates of poverty are two causes of high homeless rates. As state leaders continue to look for solutions, some communities are exploring a new option: a homeless youth shelter. 

“When a young person becomes identified as homeless and they're in the ages of 13 to 17, we're going to get a call," Sieburg said. 

Children can stay for at least 30 days and will receive trauma-informed care and case management. The facility is staffed for 24 hours and also has private bedrooms, offers three meals a day and an entertainment room. 

“Come as you are and let us know how we can assist you with, you know, the issues that you're identifying as being problematic," Vanderploeg said. "You know, we're not here to tell anybody, 'here's what you have to work on, or here's what you need to do.' At the end of the day, we want to be supportive.” 

While the shelter will help anyone in need, its focus is on the LGBTQ+ community. 

“Across the country, the number of young people that identify as LGBTQIA+ are one of the higher risk groups in homelessness," she said. 

“All the stats show that they're at greater risk for drug use, abuse, suicide rates and sex trafficking," said Sieburg.  

“We know that when a young person hits homelessness, we really have a finite amount of time to get them safe and rehoused before the streets kind of find out who they are and what they want to do with them," Sieburg said.