Millions of children, youth, and families experiencing homelessness are overlooked due to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) definition of homelessness. SchoolHouse Connection, together with our partners, recently published two new resources on HUD’s definition of homelessness. We summarize them below and provide tips on how to use them in your advocacy efforts.
- An FAQ created by Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, Family Promise, National Network for Youth, and SchoolHouse Connection.
- This FAQ provides information and guidance on aligning the various definitions of homelessness used by different federal programs and initiatives.
How to use this FAQ:
- If you work for an organization that serves children, youth, and families experiencing homelessness, you could use the resource to better understand the federal definitions and ensure your programs and services align with them.
- If you are an advocate for homeless individuals or families, you could use the information to better communicate the issue of homelessness to policymakers, partners, and others in your community.
2. The Pitfalls of HUD’s Point-in-Time Count for Children, Youth, and Families
- Jointly authored by: SchoolHouse Connection, National Network for Youth, Family Promise, First Focus for Children, and Chicago Coalition for the Homeless
- This resource describes the limitations and challenges of using HUD’s Point-in-Time (PIT) count as a method for measuring homelessness in the United States.
How to use this resource:
- If you are an early childhood provider, homeless liaison, state homeless education coordinator, educator, service provider, or advocate, you can use this resource to help explain why other federal data sources provide a more accurate picture of child, youth, and family homelessness.
- You can also use this resource when speaking with reporters or the media.
Child and Youth Homelessness in the United States: Data Profiles
To find child and youth homelessness data at the national, state, county, school district, and Congressional levels, check out our searchable data profiles here. If you need help navigating this tool, watch a replay of this webinar here.
