Unaccompanied Homeless Youth

Unaccompanied homeless youth are youth who are not in the care of a parent or guardian and who lack safe, stable housing. Their numbers are growing and their needs go largely unmet. MA Appleseed is conducting research that will provide insights into the challenges and lead to best practices for addressing the needs of this unique population of youth.

MA Appleseed and Appleseed wrote a policy brief entitled, "Unaccompanied, Unidentified and Uncounted: Developing strategies to meet the needs of America's homeless youth." The brief looks at who these youth are and how we can affect positive change for this population of youth. The brief outlines our findings and suggests recommendations meant to spur advocacy, further research and ultimately meaningful improvement to the lives of these children.

As a starting point, MA Appleseed proposed state legislation to fund programs which provide a continuum of housing and support services with the goal of creating education stability and better health outcomes for unaccompanied homeless youth. Appropriate housing and support services are critical because they serve as a platform from which unaccompanied homeless youth can stabilize and improve their education and health outcomes. If passed, H 1862 would create a commission to study issues and identify solutions for unaccompanied homeless youth.

H 1862 was reported out favorably by the Joint Committee for Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities in November, 2011. Click here to read MA Appleseed's written testimony in support of the bill.