What Is the Youth Action Board and Why Does It Exist?

Before you can find your local chapter, it helps to understand what YAAB actually is and why it was created. YAAB is not a shelter, a case manager, or a hotline — it is a youth-led advocacy network that operates inside Tennessee’s formal homeless-services system. Understanding that context makes it clear why connecting with your regional chapter can open doors that other programs cannot.

A Network Built by and for Young Adults

The Youth Action Board of Tennessee — known as YAAB — is not a program that happens to young people. It is a statewide network led by young people. Every member is between 17 and 25 years old and has their own lived experience of homelessness or housing instability. That shared experience is not a qualification to be pitied — it is the most powerful credential in the room.

YAAB members advise local Continuum of Care (CoC) boards, testify at public hearings, review grant applications, and push for policy changes that actually reflect what transition-age youth need. The insight that comes from having lived through housing instability is exactly what most policy tables have been missing.

The Continuum of Care System — and Where YAAB Fits In

Tennessee’s homeless-services system is organized into geographic regions called Continuums of Care (CoCs). Each CoC coordinates housing, shelter, outreach, and support services in its area, and each one receives federal funding through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). As of 2024, Tennessee has eight active CoC regions.

YAAB chapters are embedded inside these CoC regions. That means when a YAAB member speaks up about what shelters are missing or what barriers keep young adults from getting housed, they are speaking directly to the people who control the funding and the programs. That is not symbolic — it is structural power. To learn more about the broader mission, visit the YAAB About page.

How Tennessee Is Divided into YAAB Regions

Tennessee is a long state — nearly 500 miles from Memphis to Bristol — and the challenges facing young adults in each corner of the state are shaped by local economies, transit systems, and service landscapes. That is why YAAB is organized regionally, not as a single statewide office. Here is how the regions break down and what that means for finding your chapter.

Eight Continuum of Care Regions, Eight YAAB Chapters

Tennessee’s eight CoC regions each have a corresponding YAAB chapter. The regions are identified by HUD codes: TN-500 through TN-509 (with some numbers retired or merged over time). Each chapter operates with its own local leadership, meeting schedule, and focus areas — but all chapters share the same statewide YAAB mission and connect to the broader Tennessee network.

• TN-500: Chattanooga / Hamilton County
• TN-501: Memphis / Shelby County
• TN-502: Nashville / Davidson County
• TN-503: Knoxville / Knox County
• TN-504: Murfreesboro / Rutherford County
• TN-506: Upper Cumberland
• TN-507: Northeast Tennessee
• TN-509: Jackson / West Tennessee

Why Regional Structure Matters for You

The regional structure is not just administrative — it is practical. Housing markets, shelter capacity, employment opportunities, and transit access look very different in Memphis than they do in Cookeville or Johnson City. A chapter rooted in your region understands those local conditions because its members live them every day.

When you connect with your local YAAB chapter, you are not filling out a form and waiting for a call back from a state office. You are joining a peer group that knows your city’s shelters, your county’s CoC board members, and the specific gaps in your area’s services. That local knowledge is irreplaceable.

Memphis and Shelby County — TN-501

Memphis is Tennessee’s largest city by population, and it has one of the state’s most active YAAB chapters. If you are in Shelby County, here is what you need to know about the TN-501 chapter and the work happening on the ground.

Who the Memphis YAAB Serves

The TN-501 chapter covers Memphis and Shelby County, one of the largest urban CoC regions in the state. Memphis has a significant population of transition-age youth experiencing homelessness, including a high proportion of young adults aging out of foster care and youth who have experienced family rejection. The Memphis YAAB chapter works directly with the Shelby County CoC board to advocate for youth-specific shelter beds, rapid rehousing funds, and employment pathways.

If you are between 17 and 25, living in Memphis or anywhere in Shelby County, and you have experienced housing instability, the TN-501 YAAB chapter is your entry point into peer advocacy and local resources.

Key Issues the Memphis Chapter Focuses On

Memphis YAAB members have identified several priority areas through their advocacy work: the shortage of low-barrier shelter options for youth ages 18 to 24, gaps in mental health services that accept Medicaid, and the need for more transitional housing units specifically designated for young adults. Members have participated in the annual Point-in-Time Count — a HUD-required census of people experiencing homelessness — and have used that data to push for better youth-specific counting methods.

Getting involved with the Memphis chapter means your voice gets added to those advocacy efforts. Visit the TN-501 chapter page to learn more about how to connect.

Nashville and Davidson County — TN-502

Nashville is Tennessee’s capital and its fastest-growing metro area. The TN-502 YAAB chapter is one of the most active in the state, with strong ties to the Davidson County CoC and a track record of influencing local policy. Here is what you need to know if Nashville is your city.

Nashville's Rapid Growth and Youth Housing Pressure

Nashville has been one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States over the past decade, with average rent increasing by more than 40% between 2019 and 2024. That growth has pushed low-income residents — including transition-age youth — further from services, employment centers, and transit. The TN-502 YAAB chapter operates inside this pressure cooker and advocates specifically for young adults who are being priced out or pushed into unstable housing situations.

Nashville’s CoC, known as the Continuum of Care for Davidson County, coordinates dozens of service providers. YAAB members sit at that table and make sure youth voices are part of every conversation about funding priorities and program design.

What Nashville YAAB Members Are Working On

TN-502 members have been active in advocating for youth-specific rapid rehousing programs, pushing for better data collection on LGBTQ+ youth homelessness (a population that is disproportionately represented in Nashville’s youth homeless count), and working with employers on youth-friendly hiring practices. Nashville’s YAAB chapter also connects members to education resources, including GED programs and community college enrollment support.

If you are in Davidson County or the greater Nashville metro area, the TN-502 chapter page has meeting information and contact details for getting involved.

Knoxville and Knox County — TN-503

Knoxville anchors East Tennessee’s service network, and the TN-503 YAAB chapter reflects the unique mix of urban opportunity and rural proximity that defines this part of the state. If you are in the Knoxville area, here is what the local chapter is doing and how to get involved.

East Tennessee's Hub for Youth Advocacy

Knoxville serves as the economic and service hub for East Tennessee, drawing young adults from surrounding rural counties who often have fewer local resources. The TN-503 YAAB chapter covers Knox County and works closely with the Knoxville-Knox County CoC. Members have focused heavily on the transition from youth services to adult services — a gap that often leaves young adults ages 18 to 24 falling through the cracks when they age out of youth-specific programs.

Knoxville is also home to the University of Tennessee, which creates both opportunities (employment, education) and challenges (rising rents near campus) for transition-age youth in the area.

Connecting with the Knoxville Chapter

The TN-503 chapter holds regular meetings and connects members to local service providers, employment programs, and educational pathways. If you are in Knox County or traveling in from a surrounding county like Anderson, Blount, or Sevier, the Knoxville chapter is your closest YAAB connection. Members have also been involved in statewide advocacy days in Nashville, so joining the Knoxville chapter does not limit you to local work — it connects you to the full Tennessee network.

Check the TN-503 chapter page for current meeting schedules and contact information.

Chattanooga and Hamilton County — TN-500

Chattanooga sits at the southern tip of Tennessee, bordered by Georgia and Alabama, and its YAAB chapter reflects the distinct challenges and strengths of the region. Here is what TN-500 is working on and how to connect if Hamilton County is your home.

Chattanooga's Youth Homelessness Landscape

Chattanooga has undergone significant economic revitalization over the past 15 years, but that growth has not reached all young adults equally. The TN-500 YAAB chapter covers Hamilton County and advocates within the Chattanooga Regional CoC. Youth homelessness in Chattanooga is shaped by several factors: limited affordable housing stock, a shortage of youth-specific shelter beds, and barriers to employment for young adults without stable addresses or transportation.

YAAB members in Chattanooga have worked to bring youth perspectives into CoC planning meetings and to advocate for more transitional housing options specifically designed for 18-to-24-year-olds who are not eligible for family shelters but are not yet stable enough for independent housing.

Getting Plugged In in Chattanooga

The TN-500 chapter is a strong entry point for young adults in Southeast Tennessee who want to turn their experience into advocacy. Whether you are currently experiencing housing instability or you have been housed for a while and want to give back, the Chattanooga chapter welcomes members at all stages. Meetings are peer-led and focus on both local action and connecting members to resources like employment programs, financial literacy workshops, and mental health support.

Visit the TN-500 chapter page to find out when the next meeting is and how to introduce yourself.

Jackson and West Tennessee — TN-509

West Tennessee outside of Memphis is a different world from the state’s urban centers — and the TN-509 YAAB chapter is built to serve young adults in that rural and small-city context. Here is what makes this chapter unique and how to connect if you are in the region.

Rural Challenges and Regional Reach

West Tennessee outside of Memphis is largely rural, and the TN-509 CoC covers a wide geographic area centered on Jackson in Madison County. Rural youth homelessness is often invisible — young adults couch-surf, double up with family, or sleep in cars rather than accessing formal shelter systems that may not exist nearby. The TN-509 YAAB chapter works to make those hidden experiences visible to CoC planners and funders.

Transportation is one of the biggest barriers for young adults in West Tennessee. Without reliable transit, accessing services in Jackson from surrounding counties like Haywood, Crockett, or Gibson can be nearly impossible. YAAB members in this region have advocated for mobile outreach and virtual service options that meet young adults where they are.

Joining the West Tennessee Chapter

If you are in Jackson or anywhere in West Tennessee outside of Shelby County, the TN-509 chapter is your regional YAAB connection. The chapter understands the rural reality and works to make participation accessible even for members who cannot easily travel to in-person meetings. Virtual meeting options and peer outreach are part of how this chapter stays connected across a large geography.

Details about the TN-509 chapter, including how to reach local members, are available on the TN-509 chapter page.

Upper Cumberland and Northeast Tennessee — TN-506 and TN-507

Tennessee’s most rural YAAB chapters serve young adults in the Upper Cumberland and Northeast Tennessee regions — areas where geography, distance, and limited infrastructure create unique challenges. These chapters are doing critical work to make sure rural youth are not left out of statewide advocacy conversations.

Upper Cumberland — TN-506

The Upper Cumberland region covers a cluster of counties in North-Central Tennessee, including Putnam (Cookeville), Cumberland, White, and surrounding areas. This is a region where outdoor recreation economy and healthcare employment coexist with significant rural poverty and limited youth-specific services. The TN-506 YAAB chapter advocates for young adults in a region where the nearest youth shelter may be hours away and where internet access — critical for job applications, school enrollment, and service navigation — is still inconsistent in some areas.

YAAB members in the Upper Cumberland have focused on connecting peers to online GED programs, remote employment opportunities, and virtual mental health services that do not require transportation. Visit the TN-506 chapter page for regional contact information.

Northeast Tennessee — TN-507

Northeast Tennessee — anchored by the Tri-Cities metro area of Johnson City, Kingsport, and Bristol — has its own distinct identity. The region has a strong Appalachian cultural heritage and faces challenges common to post-industrial communities: opioid recovery needs, limited affordable housing, and youth unemployment. The TN-507 YAAB chapter works within the Northeast Tennessee CoC to ensure that young adults experiencing homelessness in this corner of the state are counted, heard, and served.

Members of TN-507 have been involved in advocacy around substance use recovery housing for young adults and have pushed for youth-specific beds within the region’s shelter system. Connect through the TN-507 chapter page to find out how to get involved in Northeast Tennessee.

Tennessee YAAB Chapters at a Glance

Use this table to quickly identify your regional YAAB chapter, the counties it serves, its primary urban anchor, and the key focus areas its members have prioritized.

What Happens When You Join a Local YAAB Chapter?

Knowing where your chapter is located is the first step — but what actually happens when you show up? Here is a realistic picture of what YAAB membership looks like day-to-day, so you know what you are walking into.

Peer Connection and Shared Experience

The first thing most new YAAB members notice is that they are not the only one. Meetings are spaces where young adults with similar experiences come together without judgment. There is no intake form, no case file, and no professional telling you what you need. The conversation is peer-led, which means the people running the meeting have been where you are.

That peer connection is not just emotionally valuable — it is practically useful. Members share information about which shelters have open beds, which employers are actually youth-friendly, which programs have waitlists and which ones can move fast. That kind of real-time, on-the-ground knowledge does not live in any brochure.

Advocacy, Leadership, and Real Influence

YAAB membership is not passive. Members are invited — and expected — to participate in CoC board meetings, review funding applications, give public comment, and help design programs. That means your experience directly shapes how millions of dollars in federal and state funding gets spent on youth services in Tennessee.

Members also have opportunities to attend statewide convenings, connect with Tennessee’s state government, and participate in national advocacy efforts through organizations like the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Leadership training, public speaking practice, and resume-building are built into the YAAB experience. Learn more about YAAB’s advocacy work at the advocacy page.

Access to Resources and Referrals

Being part of YAAB also connects you to a broader network of resources. Members get connected to housing programs, employment services, education pathways, mental health support, and financial literacy tools — not through a waiting list, but through peer referrals and direct relationships with service providers who trust the YAAB network. If you are currently experiencing housing instability, joining your local chapter is one of the fastest ways to get connected to people who know how to navigate the system.

A Side-by-Side Look at Tennessee's YAAB Chapters

Every YAAB chapter shares the same core mission, but each one reflects the unique landscape of its region. The table below summarizes key facts about each chapter to help you quickly identify which one is yours and what to expect.

Youth Homelessness in Tennessee — the Numbers Behind the Work

Understanding the scale of youth homelessness in Tennessee helps explain why YAAB chapters exist and why the work they do matters. These are not abstract policy problems — they are the daily reality for thousands of young adults across the state. Here is a snapshot of what the data shows.

What the Point-in-Time Count Tells Us

Every January, communities across the United States conduct a Point-in-Time (PIT) Count — a one-night census of people experiencing homelessness. In Tennessee’s 2023 PIT Count, approximately 8,500 individuals were counted as experiencing homelessness on a single night. Of those, an estimated 10 to 15% were transition-age youth between 18 and 24 — roughly 850 to 1,275 young adults counted on that single night alone.

Researchers consistently note that PIT Counts undercount youth homelessness because young people are more likely to be in hidden situations — couch-surfing, staying in cars, or doubling up — rather than in shelters where counters can find them. The real number of youth experiencing housing instability in Tennessee on any given night is almost certainly higher than what the PIT Count captures.

Disproportionate Impact on Specific Groups

Youth homelessness in Tennessee — and nationally — disproportionately affects specific populations. LGBTQ+ youth make up an estimated 40% of the youth homeless population nationally despite being roughly 7% of the general youth population. Black youth are overrepresented in homeless counts relative to their share of the overall population, reflecting systemic inequities in housing, child welfare, and economic opportunity. Youth aging out of foster care are at extremely high risk: studies show that approximately 25% of youth who age out of foster care experience homelessness within two to four years.

YAAB’s work is directly responsive to these disparities. Members who belong to these communities bring firsthand knowledge of what barriers look like and what solutions actually work — knowledge that no outside researcher can replicate.

Ready to Find Your Chapter and Get Involved?

You have read about every YAAB chapter across Tennessee. Now it is time to take the next step. Here is how to move from reading to actually connecting — because the most important thing YAAB can offer you is not information on a page, it is the people in the room.

Your Region, Your Chapter, Your Voice

No matter which corner of Tennessee you call home — Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Jackson, the Upper Cumberland, or Northeast Tennessee — there is a YAAB chapter that belongs to you. These chapters are not waiting for you to prove yourself or check a box. They are waiting for your perspective, your experience, and your energy.

The easiest way to find your chapter and get connected is to visit the local YAABs page, where you can find contact information, meeting schedules, and details for every regional chapter across Tennessee. If you are not sure which region you fall into, the page will help you figure it out.

Not Sure Where to Start? Start Here.

If you are currently experiencing housing instability and are not sure whether YAAB is the right first step, that is okay. YAAB members are peers, not case managers, but they can connect you to resources and point you toward the right services in your area. You do not have to have everything figured out to show up. Showing up is the whole point.

You can also explore the YAAB resources page for a broader list of housing, employment, education, and mental health tools available to young adults across Tennessee. The statewide network is here, and it was built by people who have been exactly where you are right now.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I find my local Youth Action Board chapter in Tennessee?

Visit yaabtn.org/local-yaabs/ to find contact information and meeting details for every regional YAAB chapter in Tennessee. Chapters are organized by Continuum of Care region, so you can find the one that covers your county.

Do I have to be currently homeless to join a YAAB chapter?

No. YAAB welcomes young adults ages 17 to 25 who have any lived experience of homelessness or housing instability — whether that is current, recent, or in the past. You do not have to be in crisis to get involved.

What is a Continuum of Care and how does it relate to YAAB?

A Continuum of Care (CoC) is a regional network of organizations that coordinates homeless services and receives federal HUD funding. Each Tennessee YAAB chapter is embedded in a CoC region, which means YAAB members have a direct seat at the table where housing funding decisions are made.

What age do you have to be to join a Youth Action Board chapter in Tennessee?

YAAB membership is open to young adults ages 17 to 25 who have lived experience of homelessness or housing instability. Some chapters may have specific eligibility details, so check your regional chapter page for the most current information.

What if I live in a rural area of Tennessee far from a YAAB meeting location?

Several YAAB chapters — especially TN-506 (Upper Cumberland), TN-507 (Northeast TN), and TN-509 (West TN) — offer virtual meeting options and peer outreach specifically designed for members who cannot easily travel. Contact your regional chapter to ask about remote participation.

Can YAAB help me find housing or connect me to services?

YAAB is a peer advocacy network, not a direct service provider, but members can connect you to housing programs, employment resources, mental health services, and education pathways through their relationships with local service providers and CoC partners. Showing up to a chapter meeting is often the fastest way to get connected.