“By the age of 17, my mom lost the apartment. My family became homeless. I slept in Penn Station on the night of my 18th birthday and for months after.”
– Juan
What is youth homelessness?
A youth is counted as homeless when as have they have experienced unaccompanied homelessness at least once during a recent 12-month period. Homeless experiences are broadly defined, including couch surfing as well as arrangements like sleeping on the streets, in cars, or in shelters.
How many young people are homeless in the United States?
In November 2017, Chapin Hall of the University of Chicago released a groundbreaking report on youth homelessness in the United States through its Voices of Youth Count Study. Conducted over the course of a year rather than a single night, the study is the most comprehensive research to date on youth homelessness. Here is what we learned:
1 in 10 young people ages 18 to 25 experience a form of homelessness over a 12 month period.
3,500,000 homeless young adults in the United States.
1 in 30 children ages 13 to 17 experience a form of homelessness over a 12 month period.
700,000 homeless adolescents in the United States.
- In total, 4.2 million young people experience a form of homelessness in a given year, from couch surfing to living on the streets.
- Half of the youth who experienced homelessness in the past year did so for the first time.
- 42 percent experienced two or more episodes of homelessness.
- Youth homelessness affects urban and rural youth at similar levels.