There has been an unprecedented increase in collaboration both among federal agencies and between the government and locally-driven efforts to end homelessness among unaccompanied youth under age 25.
While we lack a comprehensive and confident national estimate of the scale and scope of youth homelessness, which makes it difficult to measure progress, communities are strengthening annual Point-in-Time (PIT) counts and other data collection efforts, and partnering with non-profit providers, schools, and researchers to improve our data and enhance our information.
To expand our understanding of the most effective interventions, we are partnering with communities on the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program and the Youth/Young Adults with Child Welfare Involvement At-Risk of Homelessness grants, as well as supporting the urgent action of communities pursuing aggressive 100-Day Challenge goals and other efforts. All of these activities are helping us to better understand the full range of solutions, collaborations, and investments needed to achieve and sustain an end to homelessness, by any federal definition, for all youth.
To ensure that youth homelessness is prevented whenever possible, and that unaccompanied youth who do experience homelessness are on a quick path to safe, stable, and permanent housing, communities need to implement a robust, coordinated response focused on the shared outcomes of: stable housing; permanent connections; education/employment; and social and emotional well-being. Communities are using the vision described in Preventing and Ending Youth Homelessness: A Coordinated Community Response to guide that work.