In 2024, the National Council on Youth Homelessness, Coalition for Juvenile Justice and National Network for Youth came together to form the Youth Reentry Work Group under the National Youth Homelessness Partnership, with support from the Raikes Foundation. Through months of dialogue, collaboration, and shared learning, the Youth Reentry Work Group identified a critical need for practical, cross-systems guidance to better support young people transitioning from incarceration and detention back to their communities.
In response, the Youth Reentry Work Group developed resources to promote long-term housing stability for youth and young adults impacted by incarceration for communities, direct service providers, policymakers, and system leaders.
Coming Home: Recommendations for Holistically Supporting Youth and Young Adults During Reentry from Incarceration and Detention
Published Spring 2026
The National Youth Homelessness Partnership developed a Youth Reentry Toolkit to support youth and young adults returning to their communities after incarceration or detention. The toolkit provides guidance, recommendations, and practical resources for systems and service providers to deliver more coordinated, trauma-informed, and holistic support that can potentially improve housing stability, wellbeing, and long-term outcomes for youth during and after reentry.
Reentry Toolkit: A Resource for State Advisory Groups
Published Spring 2024
Homeless youth have disproportionate levels of contact with juvenile justice systems. According to the Center for Coordinated Assistance to States and the American Institutes for Research, an estimated 46% of youth who have experienced homelessness have been held in juvenile detention at some point, this is compared to 15% of youth in the general population. Strong reentry planning is key to ensure these young people have safe and stable housing.
Reentry is the process of preparing and planning for a young person to reintegrate into their community after a period of incarceration or residential placement. It includes identifying appropriate housing, education, financial support, jobs, medical care, and more.
When offered wholistic and individualized support and resources, youth can successfully reintegrate back into their family, community, or alternative home-like settings. They can achieve advancement in education and/or employment and work towards other meaningful personal goals. Be mindful that not all youth can return to their families, so connecting them to healthy support systems within the community is crucial. This could include mentors, local peer support groups, community centers, or clubs.
This toolkit provides state advisory groups and state agencies resources to plan for reentry at the outset of incarceration or out-of-home placement. Below is a webinar discussing best practices for reentry, and the slides are available for download here.
