The injustice of homelessness cannot be decoupled from the legacy of centuries of systemic racism. The white supremacy  and racism that devalue Black lives in the context of policing are the same that make Black people more likely to experience homelessness. Black Americans make up 13% of the population, but represent 40% of people experiencing homelessness. Any meaningful response to homelessness moving forward must address racism as a fundamental root cause.

What would it take to  double or triple the number of communities on a faster, smarter trajectory towards preventing and ending youth homelessness? How would that change the lives of hundreds of thousands of youth and young adults at-risk of homelessness in cities, suburbs, small towns, rural areas, and tribal lands across the nation? The Activating Uptake Framework gives us new momentum and focus to support more communities in the work to prevent and end youth homelessness.