Youth homelessness is a major societal issue in the United States and around the world. There are 4.2 million people aged 13-25 living without a home in the United States at any given time (“Youth Homelessness Overview.” National Conference of State Legislatures, 29 Mar. 2023). Homelessness is extremely harmful for young people, especially children: People without homes are vulnerable to unsafe physical and personal situations, including abuse. Homelessness makes it very difficult to find work or to access healthcare and education. Insecurity, fear, cold, illness, and lack of sleep can severely impact young people’s development and their ability to access happy and safe futures.

Youth homelessness is a complex problem that stems from a wide variety of societal and individual issues outside the young person’s control. It is often attributed to prejudice, discrimination, and abuse within households and communities, as a consequence of risk taking, crime, or gang affiliation or through parental poverty. Young people who are in foster care, who have a single parent, or who have recently been involved in the judicial system are at greater risk of becoming unhoused than the average youth.

Inadequate support programs and social stigma make it challenging to prevent youth homelessness from occurring or to identify and resolve it.