Whereas, in the United States, public schools identified nearly 1,400,000 enrolled children and youth who were homeless during the 2022 to 2023 school year, a 14 percent increase from the previous school year;

Whereas every year an estimated 1,200,000 children younger than 6 years of age, and approximately 4,200,000 youth and young adults, experience homelessness as part of the general population, with many of those children, youth, and young adults staying on couches, in motels, in shelters, or outside;

Whereas the Department of Housing and Urban Development reported a 39 percent increase in families staying in homeless shelters or visibly on the streets in 2024, which was the highest of any population and the second consecutive year of increase;

Whereas infants experiencing homelessness are at a higher risk for certain illnesses and health conditions;

Whereas families experiencing homelessness are more likely to experience involvement in the child welfare system and difficulty with school attendance;

Whereas more than 48 percent of students that experienced homelessness during the 2022 to 2023 school year were chronically absent, a rate 22 percent higher than that of other students;

Whereas, in 2021, high school students experiencing homelessness were nearly twice as likely to have seriously considered suicide or made a suicide plan, and such students were more than 3 times as likely to have made a suicide attempt within the past year;

Whereas individuals without a high school degree or general educational development certificate are over 41/2 times more likely to report homelessness than their peers who completed high school, making the lack of education and diminished opportunities for financial stability key risk factors for young adult homelessness;

Whereas, in 2022, the high school graduation rate for students experiencing homelessness was 68 percent, compared to 80 percent for low-income students and 851/2 percent for all students;

Whereas the rate of unaccompanied youth homelessness is the same in rural, suburban, and urban areas;

Whereas 29 percent of unaccompanied homeless youth between 13 and 25 years of age have spent time in foster care, compared to approximately 6 percent of all children;

Whereas youths transitioning out of the juvenile justice system or foster care system often do so without reliable social, educational, financial, employment, or housing opportunities, putting them at increased risk of homelessness;

Whereas homelessness among children and youth is a complex issue that may be correlated with deep poverty, low education and employment levels, substance use disorders, mental health disorders, lack of affordable housing, and family conflict; and

Whereas awareness of child and youth homelessness must be heightened to encourage greater support for effective programs that help children and youth overcome homelessness: Now, therefore, be it