New Resource – Model State Statutes: Youth and Young Adult Homelessness

The American Bar Association (ABA) Commission on Homelessness and Poverty, in collaboration with the National Network for Youth, as well as other national and local partners, created this new resource- Model State Statutes: Youth and Young Adult Homelessness. This publication is a tool for state and local legislators and advocates to advance policies that prevent and end youth and young adult homelessness. Topics included in this resource include providing youth with rights to education, employment, vital documents, health, housing, and more. NN4Y was proud to partner with youth with lived expertise to author the following chapters of this publication:

  • Vital Documents
  • Funding Housing and Services for Youth
  • Status Offenses
  • Exiting Systems

See the full Model State Statutes publication here

Background
In 2021, the ABA Commission on Homelessness and Poverty, along with the National Network for Youth and other local and national partners and youth advocates, embarked on a two-year journey to update the previous Model State Statutes based upon significant updates in the practice of serving youths experiencing homelessness. Partners were tasked with conducting efficacy and equity analyses to determine the models’ applicability to the on-the-ground experiences of youth, the intersectionality of systems interfacing with youth, and the specific needs of the most vulnerable subpopulations of youth.Over a period of two years, additional experts, practitioners, and youth from across the nation weighed in on this analysis and the legislative approach to suggest revisions. With this feedback, their partners edited the models accordingly. We then reconvened the experts, practitioners, and youth to ensure that the models incorporated their input. What emerged from this second collaborative effort—and is reflected in the models—is a foundational understanding and acknowledgment that youth are best served by having the agency to exercise rights on their own behalf.

While each model is not individually endorsed by the American Bar Association, collectively, they represent the national consensus on what is needed at the state level to meet their obligations to their nation’s most vulnerable citizens.

Contact

If you are interested in advancing any of these model policies in your states or local communities, please reach out to NN4Y for support.