Central Park Youth Center: Homeless Youth Crisis

Homelessness in childhood affects unwilling youth and young adults alike; the effects are truly devastating mentally and physically. It is a crisis that is only getting worse by the day, due to natural disasters, youth running away from physical and mental abuse in and out of the household, being kicked out for their identity choices (sexuality and gender preferences), etc. To be upfront, this is something that cannot be easily prevented; this crisis can and will take decades to see improvements from the present day.

In hopes of improvement and acknowledgement of this crisis. I present a building that is geared towards homeless youth education, shelter, comfort, mental & physical rest, and health.

1. Electronic Tools
2. Computer + Internet
3. Software
4. TinkerCad

Questions

1. Is homeless youth actively being prevented?
2. Yes, youth homelessness is actively being prevented through dedicated federal, state, and community-level programs and frameworks. However, these programs and systems are severely underfunded.
3. What is preventing funding for homeless youth programs?
4. Funding is being restricted due to a mix of federal budget restructurings, systemic data mismatches, administrative hurdles, and competitive inequalities.
5. Which places have the high homeless youth rates?
6. A summary of pathbreaking data from Chapin Hall’s Voices of Youth Count at the University of Chicago states that youth homelessness is strictly a big-city problem. Also stating that rural counties (9.2%) are experiencing the same rate of youth homelessness as urban counties(9.6%).

Considering that this crisis is present in any large city, I’m going to be using New York City. In major consideration, a youth center should be accessible and near transportation.

1. As an example, in New York City, some accessible spots and places near transportation are:
2. Brooklyn Bridge Park
3. Central Park
4. Hudson River Park
5. Roosevelt Island
6. Bryant Park
7. After thinking about it, the location should not be far from nature, in my opinion. A good location is center park due to its accessibility, near nature, and there is a good amount of bussing/transportation in the city.
8. Looking at the spot highlighted and at Google Maps. The area is full of schools, clinics, and more!

This is the first project I had to use Tinkercad for a project. After making a chair and a carrot, I enjoyed how easy and understandable it was to use all the tools. Personally, I enjoyed the pen tool the most; in another CAD software I was using, it was hard to extrude on a curved surface. I had to take time and search for a tutorial, and it took some long minutes trying to figure out how to use the "wrap" tool. Taking the time is something that I'm not complaining about; it's just that I realize how user-friendly Tinkercad is.

As this is my first project with Tinkercad, I am not really surprised by the outcome and design.

On another topic. The red building in the back has four floors, each with its own purpose. The first floor has schoolrooms that are intended for preschool and primary education, and a clinic intended for both mental and physical health. Along with a daycare in the front. Going to the 2nd floor, there is housing with a cafeteria and library for learning in silence. The 3rd floor is mostly housing with a room dedicated to lounging, connecting with people, and rest; finally, the 4th floor is only housing. All the floors are connected by stairs and an elevator for accessibility; the rooms on each floor are connected by an outside hallway that has an imaginary fence for safety currently.

For the outside pieces, the orange rectangle is a basketball court. The purple plot is an area for sitting and for food trucks that can buy the plot for a day's use. The light brown bridge connects the sidewalk to the main (red) building as a small river flows underneath.

In the end, I wish that I had started this project beforehand and that I had worked more on time management and becoming more familiar with Tinkercad.

Other than that, I enjoyed doing this project and getting more comfortable with Tinkercad. Along with bringing awareness to homeless youth in a small way. :D

5 flowers that symbolizes youth. (n.d.). Medium. Retrieved June 1, 2026, from https://medium.com/@angietaylor197411/5-flowers-that-symbolizes-youth-6ffb354ddab2

Homeless Youth - Causes & our Impact | Covenant House. (n.d.). Covenant House. https://www.covenanthouse.org/homeless-issues/youth-homelessness-statistics

How to get to Central Park | Directions & transit | Central Park NYC. (2026, April 14). https://www.centralpark.com/visitor-info/get-directions/

Long-Term Support for Homeless Youth | Covenant House. (n.d.). Covenant House. https://www.covenanthouse.org/our-work/homeless-youth-programs/long-term-support

Monahan, B. (2026, February 23). Federal Policy to Prevent and End Youth Homelessness - National Network for Youth. National Network for Youth. https://nn4youth.org/policy/federal-policy-to-end-youth-homelessness/

Voices of Youth Count National Survey released. (n.d.). https://www.rhyttac.net/voices-of-youth-count-national-survey-released

Yuan, N., & Yuan, N. (2023, December 5). Gaps in social services are leaving homeless youth with ‘no good choices.’ Center for Public Integrity. https://publicintegrity.org/education/unhoused-and-undercounted/gaps-in-social-services-are-leaving-homeless-youth-with-no-good-choices/