Groundbreaking Research on Youth Homelessness:
Youth Without a High School Degree, Young Parents, and Low-Income at Highest Risk
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Today, Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago released the results of a groundbreaking national survey, Missed Opportunities: Youth Homelessness in America. The research, part of the Voices of Youth Count (VoYC) initiative, challenges many assumptions in current homelessness policy and practice – not only for addressing youth homelessness, but for all forms of homelessness.
Perhaps the most significant paradigm buster revealed by the research concerns the leading risk factors associated with youth and young adult homelessness. VoYC finds that:
- Lack of a high school degree or GED is the top risk factor for youth and young adult homelessness. In fact, youth without a high school degree or GED are 3.5 times more likely to experience homelessness than peers who completed high school.
- The second highest risk factor is having a child: unmarried parents are three times more likely to experience homelessness than non-parenting peers. This finding is especially alarming because homelessness in early childhood can have lifelong consequences.
- The third highest risk factor is having a low income: youth reporting annual household incomes of less than $24,000 had a 162% higher risk of experiencing homelessness.
These findings, as well as the connections the research shows among child, youth, and adult homelessness, necessitate a fundamental reframing of the conversation on homelessness. VoYC finds that youth homelessness starts early in life, with the majority of homeless young adults experiencing homelessness in childhood or adolescence. It also finds that more than 1 in 3 homeless young women are pregnant or parenting.
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Other research demonstrates that youth homelessness is by far the largest pathway into adult homelessness. Taken together, these findings reveal how child homelessness can lead to youth homelessness, and then adult homelessness, where children of homeless youth and adults may start the cycle again.
Finally, the research shatters the notions that homelessness can be “ended” simply by providing housing to youth who are currently homeless, and by focusing on a narrow definition of homelessness. VoYC demonstrates that there is a constant stream of new youth into homelessness; that “couch-surfing” is often unsafe; and that many serious challenges, such as addiction and mental health problems, stand in the way of getting out of homelessness.
VoYC makes plain that we must prioritize prevention and early intervention if we are to reduce homelessness for all populations. Rising homelessness nationwide makes equally clear that the current approach – largely reactive, focused on adults, and focused on housing alone – has failed.
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It's time for a change of direction. You can help turn the tide.
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- There are three bipartisan bills before Congress, including the Homeless Children and Youth Act (HCYA), that can help turn the tide. Ask your Member of Congress to co-sponsor these bills.
- There is vital work to do to ensure that today’s homeless children and youth do not become tomorrow’s homeless adults. We must:
- Ensure access to early childhood education, so that young children are set on a path to success;
- Close the high school graduation gap for students who are homeless; and
- Help youth obtain the post-secondary education that is their best hope for a higher-paying job.
Learn more about each of these areas, and how you can support children and youth at every stage of their development.
- It is critical to raise awareness about child and youth homelessness in our communities, in our schools, and in early childhood programs. We’ve prepared some infographics and a short video that can be used in presentations, staff development, trainings, and online social media conversations.
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VoYC provides striking evidence in support of SchoolHouse Connection’s mission to overcome homelessness through education. We look forward to working with our network to ensure educational access and success as the best way to prevent future homelessness and its negative consequences for children and youth.
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