State Advocacy

Reforming State Policy to Overcome Child and Youth Homelessness

Collaborating with stakeholders to advocate for state policies to improve the lives of children and youth experiencing homelessness.

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Priority Areas

Early Childhood

Increasing access to and support for quality early childhood development programs, including early intervention, home visiting, child care, preschool, and prenatal programs for expectant parents, as well as housing partnerships.

PreK-12 Education

Increasing identification, stability, support, and success by removing barriers to enrollment, addressing credit accrual, improving high school graduation rates, enhancing targeted funding, revising transportation policies and funding, promoting participation in athletics and other extracurricular activities, and ensuring housing stability through partnerships.

Higher Education

Increasing FAFSA completion, postsecondary transitions, and support throughout the postsecondary experience by designating and supporting higher education homeless student liaisons, implementing fee/tuition waivers, granting priority enrollment, facilitating employment and on-campus housing, reforming Satisfactory Academic Progress, offering in-state tuition rates, providing supportive resources, and establishing housing partnerships.

Unaccompanied Youth Homelessness

Improving access to vital documents, physical, dental, and mental health care, shelter and housing, and employment supports by addressing laws that allow unaccompanied minors—those without a parent or guardian—to access the care and resources they need to thrive, including for expectant and parenting unaccompanied youth and their children.

State Advocacy Impact

State Policy Resources & Updates

Progress Updates

After selecting a category, click on any state highlighted in orange to review our progress in that state.

Explore Other Focus Areas

Early Childhood

Early childhood programs prevent the harmful life-long effects of homelessness on education, health and well-being.

Higher Education

Post-secondary attainment is increasingly necessary to break the cycle of poverty and homelessness.

Policy Advocacy

A strong voice for effective and responsive federal policy.