Current State
Current State of Supports for Youth Experiencing Homelessness
Structural racism, homophobia, and transphobia are embedded in all of the systems that youth interact with when trying to access services and supports needed to obtain and retain housing. At the systems level, the funding and policy decisions shaping the supports are still being made by majority white leadership who do not have the lived experiences of homelessness. This leads to young Black, Brown, Indigenous, and Queer youth without the employment, education, transportation, and health supports that are critical to thriving in this country.
The majority of supportive services are underfunded; are not provided through a positive youth development framework; are not designed or provided by Black, Brown, Indigenous, and Queer providers that reflect the identities of those they serve or provided in the languages needed; and have a set of requirements and restrictions that either lock them out completely or only offer them enough resources to barely survive, leaving them no room to make mistakes without losing their housing.
The limited amount of assistance in homeless rental assistance programs often restricts youth to low-income neighborhoods that lack access to support services, contributing to a lack of engagement in services.
Access to health insurance is limited across the country, leaving youth experiencing homelessness without access to health care or limited access, paid for under homeless services dollars, that could be better used to house youth if there were universal health care.
Black, Brown, Indigenous and LGBTQ young people also face structural racism and discrimination within the workforce, leading to fewer employment opportunities and lower earning. Employment assistance services are limited and often lead to minimum wage jobs that leave youth without the ability to pay rent at market rates.
Higher education is increasingly unaffordable, with limited government assistance, leading to few higher education options and increased personal debt; and there is a lack of adequate trade schools and job training programs. Supports for youth to stay in high school and/or obtain a GED are often underfunded, fragmented, and vary across the country, with some parts of the country having little to no educational services available to youth experiencing homelessness in high schools.
Transportation services across the country are often absent, underfunded, or not accessible for those living with disabilities, leaving youth with limited ability to get to school, jobs, or supportive services.
There are very few programs around the country focused on building the natural supports Black, Brown, Indigenous and Queer youth need in a community. Natural support opportunities include building on social connections, faith connections, and other social capital that can assist youth in successfully accessing future opportunities afforded to youth in non-marginalized communities.