runaway and homeless youth act

In partnership with the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, the True Colors Fund developed the State Index on Youth Homelessness (the Index) as a summary of some of the legal, systemic, and environmental barriers youth experiencing homelessness face. The Index looks at 61 metrics in all 50 states and District of Columbia. The metrics evaluate each state’s laws and policies, systems, and environments that affect youth experiencing homelessness and influence state policy and program implementation. The Index provides recommendations for each state on how to better protect the safety, development, health, and dignity of youth experiencing homelessness.

This report discusses the federal response to support the runaway and homeless youth population, specifically the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness; the Runaway and Homeless Youth Program, administered by the Family and Youth Services Bureau; and other related programs. The report acknowledges that definitions of the terms “runaway” and “homeless youth” are not specified; however, both groups share the risk of having inadequate shelter and other provisions and may engage in harmful behaviors while away from a permanent home. These two groups also include “thrownaway” youth who are asked to leave their homes, as well as other vulnerable youth populations, such as current and former foster youth and youth with mental health issues. The term “unaccompanied youth” encompasses both runaways and homeless youth and is used in national data counts of the population. (author abstract modified)

This is the sixth in a series of Research-to-Impact briefs by Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago to understand and address youth homelessness. This brief presents data from the in-depth interview component of the Voices of Youth Count report. The researchers conducted 215 interviews with youth, ages 13 to 25, from five diverse counties across the United States: Cook County, Illinois; Philadelphia County, PA; San Diego County, CA; Travis County, TX; and Walla Walla County, WA. The findings show young people who deal with housing instability experience significant adversity, family disruption, and interpersonal trauma both before and after their homelessness. This brief recommends revisions within the Runaway and Homeless Youth Program Authorizing Legislation (RHYA) based on these findings.

This report from Chapin Hall outlines a set of outcomes and measures associated with the core outcome areas for youth experiencing homelessness presented by the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) Framework to End Youth Homelessness. This initiative provides communities with a set of metrics to help facilitate consistent data collection related to core outcomes for youth experiencing homelessness across programs and organizations, regardless of their funding source. The report covers the following core outcome areas: stable housing, permanent connections, education, employment, and social-emotional well-being. The authors contend that adopting these consistent measures will improve the evidence and tools for youth outcomes nationwide. (author abstract modified)