First Full-Year Study of Youth Homelessness Shows 4.2M Homeless

Chapin Hall of the University of Chicago released its first groundbreaking report on youth homelessness in the United States through its Voices of Youth Count (VoYC) initiative in 2017. The VoYC study was conducted over the course of a full year rather than a single night, making it the most comprehensive research to date on youth homelessness in the U.S.

Here is what we learned:

• More than5 million young adults ages 18 to 25experience a form of homelessness in the course of a year — that’s 1 of every 10 young adults.
• At least700,000 adolescent minors ages 13 to 17 experience a form of homelessness in the course of a year — that’s 1 of every 30 adolescent minors.
• In total, at least 4.2 million young people experience a form of homelessness in a given year, from couch surfing to living on the streets.
• Halfof the youth who experienced homelessness in the past year did so for the first time.
• About42% experienced two or more episodes of homelessness.
• Youth homelessness affects urban and rural youthat similar levels.

 Who is at risk?

• Youth lacking a high school diploma or GEDhad a 346% higher risk of homelessness than did young people who completed high school.
• Youth in households making less than $24,000 a yearhad a 162% higher risk of homelessness.
• Unmarried parenting youthhad a 200% higher risk of homelessness.
• LGBTQ youthare at more than double the risk of homelessness than their non-LGBTQ peers, and had over twice the rate of early death among all youth experiencing homelessness.
• Black or African American youthhad an 83% higher risk of homelessness.
• Hispanic, nonwhite youthhad a 33% higher risk of homelessness.

Resources:
Read the groundbreaking Voices of Youth Count: Missed Opportunities series of reports.

• “Youth Homelessness in America: National Estimates,” 2017
• “LGBTQ Youth Homelessness in America,” 2018
• “Pregnant and Parenting Youth Experiencing Homelessness in America,” 2018
• “Counting Youth Experiencing Homelessness in America,” 2018
• “Youth Homelessness in Rural America,” 2018