No young person should ever experience homelessness.
Yet, each year, an estimated 4.2 MILLION youth and young adults experience homelessness. 

While our local cross-system collaboratives are a proven framework for ending youth homelessness in communities, new Federal initiatives, both legislative and regulatory, can better assure the success of these collaborations. In Washington, D.C., NN4Y works to change policies and secure new funding. Our policy agenda and priorities are driven by the young people we partner with and our national provider network.

A Presidential Agenda for Solving Youth and Young Adult Homelessness in America

The Biden-Harris Administration has an obligation and opportunity to ensure youth and young adults experiencing homelessness are at the forefront of its efforts to end all forms of homelessness in America. This co-created policy agenda believes whole-heartedly that homelessness in America can end if there is a radical shift to expand resources and implement common-sense policies that prevent and respond to youth and young adult homelessness. Click here to read the full transition plan.

Targeted Legislation: The 117th Congress

Updated February 3, 2022

We are working with congressional staff to have the following bills re-introduced:

Runaway and Homeless Youth Trafficking Prevention Act (RHYTPA)

The Runaway and Homeless Youth Act funds three key pillars of prevention and intervention to help youth at risk of and experiencing homelessness. RHYTPA would make critical updates to plug youth experiencing homelessness into networks of support that power their growth and success.

  • Clarifies that providers can serve more than 20 youth per program and have more than 20 beds in a building
  • Increases the allowable length of stay from 21 to 30 days or the max as allowed by state law for BCPs
  • Increases the age of eligibility from 21 to 25 for TLPs
  • Increases authorized appropriations levels to $362 million annually
  • Extends TLP services to survivors of sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, and trafficking, as practicable.

Click here for more information.

FY24 Appropriation Requests

Every young person in America should have a safe place to call home and multiple opportunities to succeed. Young people are on the cusp of adulthood: their lives are inherently transitional. Moreover, research indicates that their brains are still developing and do not reach maturation until age 25. Implementing these recommendations is critical to ending youth homelessness and vital to stopping their trajectory into chronic adult homelessness.

Our priority FY24 funding requests are:

  • $300 million for the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act program administered by HHS, plus report language requests
  • $800 million for the Education for the Homeless Children and Youth program administered by ED
  • $100 million for the Youth Homeless Demonstration Program administered by HUD, plus report language requests

Read more about our FY24 Appropriations Requests

Low Income Housing Tax Credit – Student Rule Fix

Too often youth and young adults who have experienced homelessness must choose between stable housing or obtaining full-time education. Due to a limitation in the eligibility criteria for the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program, individuals who are experiencing or have experienced homelessness would otherwise qualify to live in low-income housing are not eligible for LIHTC rental units if they attend school full-time. This bill would ensure that youth and young adults, as well as veterans who have experienced homelessness, can access affordable housing while simultaneously pursuing education.

NN4Y urges Congress to pass NN4Y urges Congress to pass the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act and include the vital fix to the student rule so students experiencing homelessness can go to school full time and access vital LIHTC funded housing.

Take action + learn more.

Homeless Children and Youth Act

The Homeless Children and Youth Act (HCYA) is a bipartisan and bicameral bill that restores local decision-making and improves the ability of communities to meet the unique developmental needs of youth and young adults (YYA) experiencing all forms of homelessness. HCYA will allow communities to serve some of the most vulnerable YYA by aligning federal definitions of homelessness. 

It will ensure flexibility for local communities to use available resources to meet the needs that they identify, by ensuring that housing and services are tailored to the unique needs of each homeless population, including YYA. Further, it will increase the visibility and awareness of YYA experiencing homelessness through transparent and accurate data collection that will lead to helping communities leverage and attract more public/private resources to address homelessness. 

Click here to learn more and take action today.

Higher Education and Access and Success for Homeless and Foster Youth Act

The Higher Education and Access and Success for Homeless and Foster Youth Act (HEASHFY) is a bipartisan and bicameral bill that will remove barriers to college enrollment, affordability, and completion for homeless and foster care-involved youth. HEASHFY will require colleges and universities to improve outreach, resources, and policies for homeless and foster youth, including streamlining the FAFSA and eligibility process for financial aid, providing housing options between terms, and designating a single point of contact to help provide valuable services for these vulnerable students. It also requires the U.S. Department of Education to help resolve questions about a student’s independence, publish usable data, and ensure its programs identify, recruit and prepare homeless and foster students for college.