Family homelessness is on the rise in the United States, yet families with children experiencing homelessness are often left out of policy conversations, with the bulk of federal homelessness resources, attention, and energy directed at visibly homeless adults. Families with children are often automatically deemed to be less vulnerable due to the more hidden forms of homelessness they experience. In practice, this means they are often not eligible to receive or even be assessed for federal assistance administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) until they are in situations deemed “homeless enough” for services. This forces children and youth into unsafe situations that risk child welfare involvement before they can get help.
Many homeless adults first experienced homelessness as youth and suffered various adverse events that impacted them throughout life. Efforts to intervene before children reach adulthood can prevent later bouts of more entrenched homelessness.
The bipartisan Homeless Children and Youth Act (S. 1667/H.R. 6403) has been a longtime priority bill for Family Promise because it would help communities identify and assist families so they can access stable housing services. See our joint fact sheet with other national partners to learn more about the bill.
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