USICH Announces Creation of National Youth Homelessness Partnership
Today, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) is announcing the creation of the National Youth Homelessness Partnership to elevate the voice of youth with lived and learned expertise of homelessness in federal and national efforts to prevent and end homelessness and enhance collaboration toward a shared purpose.
The partnership brings together federal agencies, national homelessness organizations, and a newly formed advisory group of young people who have experienced homelessness. The participating federal agencies either fund or administer services, technical assistance, and/or programs that impact youth, their risk of homelessness, and their ability to achieve and maintain housing stability. The National Youth Advisory Group was formed this summer by Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and will inform the national partnership’s work to prevent and end youth homelessness.
The national partnership will build on the council’s recent efforts to prevent and end youth homelessness. Specifically, the national partnership aims to create leadership opportunities for youth and young adults who have been working in their local and state communities to address homelessness and facilitate their full engagement in planning, coordinating, and implementing All In: The Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. The partnership also seeks to increase collaboration, coordination, and innovation at the federal, state, and local levels to streamline policies and practices and make effective use of public and private funding and technical assistance.
“Participating in the National Youth Advisory Group has been a transformative experience for me,” said Jordyn Roark, a member of the National Youth Advisory Group. “Drawing from our lived expertise, we are dedicated to helping shape a federal strategic plan that not only addresses the immediate needs of young people but also paves the way for lasting solutions. Recognizing the importance of youth voices in this work is essential, and I’m grateful that USICH is committed to making that happen. My hope is that our plan will cultivate a future where every young person has the essential resources and support necessary to attain self-sustainability and thrive in their communities.”
“Every young person’s journey is unique, and it is our responsibility to listen, learn, and help them create a brighter future. The National Youth Homelessness Partnership puts the voices of those who have experienced homelessness at the heart of our work to end homelessness and housing instability among youth and young adults,” said U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra, who serves as the chair of USICH. “The invaluable insights from our National Youth Advisory Group will help us build a compassionate, inclusive response to homelessness that empowers young people and gives them the support they deserve.”
“We must address youth homelessness with urgency. Young people who experience homelessness face unique challenges that can have a lasting impact on their education, health, and future,” said HUD Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman. “At HUD, we are committed to breaking the cycle of homelessness by investing in comprehensive solutions that provide stable housing, wraparound services, and pathways to self-sufficiency. We are happy to join our federal partners to provide a whole-of-government approach. Together, we can create a future where no child or young adult is left without a safe place to call home.”
“No child should have to go without shelter or other basic needs, yet homelessness is a tragic reality for too many of our nation’s students,” said U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona. “The Department of Education is proud to be part of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, which works across federal agencies to end and prevent homelessness—and even prouder to see the council elevate and incorporate the voices of youth with lived experience in this new national partnership. Our policies and decision-making are stronger when those who have experienced challenges firsthand can lead. I look forward to working with the new youth partnership, as well as with our state and local education agencies, in making sure all students have access to the resources they need to thrive.”
“Together, we are turning hope into action, and action into lasting change—backed up by the federal government,” said Daphnie Toussaint, a member of the National Youth Advisory Group.
“There is already so much good work being done by federal agencies, national partners, and youth leaders to prevent and end youth homelessness. This partnership aims to build new bridges and foster the kinds of relationships that support innovation guided by the belief that we can go farther together,” said USICH Youth Homelessness Special Advisor Alex Wagaman, who is facilitating the partnership and an associate professor of social work at VCU.
Youth homelessness is rising, and it disproportionately impacts youth of color, youth who identify as LGBTQI+, youth with disabilities, English learners, youth who are pregnant or parenting, and youth exiting the foster-care and juvenile justice systems. Over the course of the 2021-2022 school year, public schools reported 1.2 million students experiencing homelessness—a 10% increase from the previous school year—and more than 75% of them were experiencing “hidden homelessness,” meaning they were living in motels/hotels or on family/friends’ couches in unstable and often unsafe environments. Over the course of a full calendar year, 700,000 youth (ages 13-17) and 3.5 million young adults (ages 18-25) had experienced some form of homelessness in 2017.
The Biden-Harris administration has been addressing homelessness head-on. HUD invested nearly half a billion in first-of-its-kind funding last year to help communities address unsheltered and rural homelessness, while USICH and the White House launched the ALL INside Initiative to help communities cut red tape that makes it difficult for people living on the streets to access housing and services. Meanwhile, the White House prioritizes the most significant root cause of homelessness—the lack of affordable housing—and helped put the country on track last year to build more apartments than any other year in the previous 50. HHS is granting more states the innovative ability to use Medicaid to fund short-term housing and housing-related support for people experiencing homelessness. During the pandemic, the administration built the foundation for a national eviction prevention system, and last month, USICH released the first-ever federal framework for homelessness prevention.
The National Youth Advisory Group consists of the following members:
- Malik Rivers, Washington, D.C
- Amara Santos, Bay Area, California
- Dahsuri (Dash) Togi, Anchorage, Alaska
- Lee Waldman, Ithaca, New York
- Zoryna, Honolulu, Hawaii and Anchorage, Alaska
- Dane Valentine, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- delilah mariah aviles, Oakland, California
- Kalyn Jeannine Garcia, Los Angeles, California
- Johnathan Hemphill, Tacoma, Washington
- Jordyn Roark, Centreville, Virginia
- Daphnie Toussaint, Charlotte County, Florida
- DaeJanae Day, Prince George's County, Maryland
- Zaqanah Stephens, New York, New York
- Maygan Martinez, Salt Lake County, Utah
- Cyntia Roig, Miami, Florida and Providence, Rhode Island
USICH’s National Youth Homelessness Partnership includes members from the following federal departments and agencies:
- AmeriCorps
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
- U.S. Department of Education (McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program; Office of Federal Student Aid)
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Administration for Children and Families; Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation; Office of Refugee Resettlement; Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs; Office of Public and Indian Housing)
- U.S. Department of Justice (Office of Access to Justice; Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention)
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U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration; Office of Job Corps)