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.
The Homeless Youth Handbook
Youth experiencing homelessness must be able to access legal help and information to overcome the unique barriers they face. As a group that frequently lacks the traditional support systems of their housed peers, homeless youth must often confront difficult legal situations alone and with little guidance.
At Massachusetts Appleseed, we’re working to create a Homeless Youth Handbook – a know-your-rights, plain-language guide for youth experiencing homelessness. Partnering with the global law firm Baker & McKenzie LLP, several of our community partners, and homeless youth themselves, this will be a Massachusetts-specific resource that will help homeless youth navigate the complicated systems that govern their lives. It will cover a vast range of topics, from the right to education, resources for LGBTQ youth, interacting with police and immigration officials, and more, providing actionable steps youth experiencing homelessness can take to move forward.
The Homeless Youth Handbook will be designed for homeless youth, to provide them with information, empower them to fully access their legal rights, and take action. This project will expand access to justice to one of the most vulnerable populations in Massachusetts and we believe is a critical step to ending youth homelessness in the state.
Many other states, including Texas, Minnesota, New York, and, most recently, Washington D.C., have published similar resources. To view the Homeless Youth Handbooks already available, please visit www.homelessyouth.org.
Advocacy
Massachusetts Appleseed also advocates for state legislation to fund programs which provide a continuum of housing and support services 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.
Policy Brief
Massachusetts Appleseed co-wrote a policy brief entitled, “Unaccompanied, Unidentified and Uncounted: Developing Strategies to Meet the Needs of America’s Homeless Youth,” which examines their plight. The brief suggests recommendations meant to spur advocacy, further research and ultimately meaningful improvement to the lives of these children. The brief forms the basis of Massachusetts Appleseed’s youth homelessness policy agenda, much of which we have achieved through our work on the Special Commission on Unaccompanied Youth.
Special Commission on Unaccompanied Homeless Youth
Massachusetts Appleseed is an active member of the Special Commission on Unaccompanied Homeless Youth which was signed into law on July 8, 2012 as Outside Section 208 of the FY2013 Budget. The Special Commission identifies and addresses the many issues and barriers affecting unaccompanied homeless youth and recommends positive policy changes and appropriate interventions. The Special Commission is tasked with examining many of the issues raised in Massachusetts Appleseed’s policy brief, such as barriers related to mandated reporting requirements and the inability to count this mobile and invisible population of youth.
The Commission reported its preliminary findings and initial recommendations in June 2013. The Commission adopted a broad and inclusive definition of unaccompanied youth homelessness. On January 6, 2015, the definition was enacted into law. Click here to download the Commission’s initial report.
