Youth and Young Adult Homelessness

Youth + Young Adult Homelessness

In the United States, there are very few issues facing our youth that are more serious or pervasive than homelessness. A 2017 study from Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago found that 1 in 10 youth experience homelessness, with the total number approaching 3.5 million annually. From a wide body of studies and related research, we know that the experience of homelessness makes youth more likely to face significant health issues, be the victims of crime, and use illicit substances. We also know that living without a stable address presents significant barriers to receiving the education and employment training that youth need to not only live, but thrive. 

Initiatives Related To Youth + Young Adult Homelessness

A complex problem deserves a comprehensive solution. That’s why Youth Collaboratory partners with experts who advocate for young people through direct services, topical research, and policy development. With a finger on the pulse of the field, we track the trends and challenges facing young people and our partners in their communities. With this information, we identify and promote real-time solutions that are effective in addressing the challenges that youth face when experiencing homelessness. We do this by: 

• Operating the Runaway and Homeless Youth Training & Technical Assistance Center (RHYTTAC) and providing training and technical assistance to federally-funded runaway and homeless youth (RHY) grantees to strengthen the capacity of communities to meet the immediate needs of youth and young adults experiencing homelessness & housing instability and assist them with a successful path to adulthood and transition to self-sufficiency
• Providing individualized consultation to communities working towards coordinated responses to ending youth homelessness
• Facilitating structured learning opportunities for people and organizations working through similar challenges and towards technical competencies
• Developing and expanding the skills of program providers and other stakeholders in OJJDP-awarded community sites through training and technical assistance to promote positive youth outcomes and public safety for adolescents experiencing risk factors and youth transitioning from foster care
• Partnering on timely research that results in positive implications for national and local policy and practices towards ending youth homelessness
  • Smarter Coordinated Responses to Youth Homelessness
  • Youth Outcomes Project
  • Activating Uptake to Prevent and End Youth Homelessness: National Community Survey Findings 
• Participating in the nationwide push to end youth homelessness