According to the United States Council on Homelessness (USICH), around 11% of all people experiencing homelessness on a particular night are “unaccompanied” youth—those who are under the age of 25 and not with a parent or guardian. The UISCH strives to end homelessness. They focus on youth because “about one in ten young adults ages 18 to 25, and about one in 30 adolescents ages 13 to 17, experience some form of unaccompanied homelessness over the course of a year.” These statistics are a glaring look into something that needs to be fixed in our country.
According to the 2015 Opening Doors Strategic Plan put into place by USICH to end homelessness, we must address the following if we wish to help prevent youth homelessness. These include:
- Individual goal-based planning
- Continuous support services that connect to mainstream resources
- Education and employment
- Self-sufficient living skills training
- Affordable housing
- Connection to trustworthy and supportive adults
- Basic Center Program (BCP)
- Transitional Living Program (TLP)
- Street Outreach Program (SOP)
Volunteers of America has helped over 1.3 million people; they are a ministry of service that is dedicated to helping those in need rebuild their lives and reach their full potential.
These are just a few of the many resources for homeless kids and individuals. If you want to look into some more, youth.gov has a list of resources and other programs you can look at.