Why Are Youth Homeless in the U.S.?
Many youth between the ages of 14 and 24 experience homelessness in America each year. The term “unaccompanied youth” is often used to describe homeless youth because they are homeless without a parent or guardian.

Pregnant and parenting youth; youth with special needs or disabilities; and youth of color—particularly African-Americans and Native Americans—are more likely to become homeless. Forty-seven percent of homeless youth were also homeless as children.

Most often, youth become homeless because of abuse, neglect, or other trauma at home:

Physical and sexual abuse can lead youth to run away. Estimates vary, but roughly 40-60% experience physical abuse and 20-40% are sexually abused.
Parental substance use can cause youth to run away from home.
Conflicts with families over LGBTQ identities are another reason youth are kicked-out of or run away from home. Over one-third of unaccompanied homeless youth identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, or Questioning (LGBTQ).
Once homeless, young people are at risk for labor and sex trafficking, assault, and other forms of victimization. They have an 87% likelihood of dropping out of school. Young people without high school diplomas or GEDs are 4.5 times more likely to experience homelessness.

People experiencing unsheltered homelessness (those sleeping outside or in places not meant for human habitation).
On any given night, there are over half a million people experiencing homelessness in America, including 36,000 unaccompanied youth.

According to the recent The State of Homelessness in America report, over one-third of all homeless people are living unsheltered on the street, in cars or in other places unfit for human habitation. While most Americans experiencing homelessness can find shelter at local emergency and transitional housing facilities, or with family and friends, the number of unsheltered individuals and families has increased for the third year in a row.

This recent uptick in people living in unsheltered places has very visibly manifested itself in the growth and proliferation of homeless encampments in cities across the country. Not surprisingly, an intensification of concern and scrutiny has arisen, surrounding the efficacy of policies aimed at creating positive outcomes for encampment inhabitants, and mitigating the real and perceived negative impacts of unsheltered homelessness upon the broader community.