National Network For Youth

The Senate Committee on Appropriations passed their bills that include funding for programs that directly impact youth homelessness! Unlike the accompanying House Appropriations bills, the Senate bills maintain all funding for these programs and includes additional report language that highlights youth homelessness. Read the full update on Senate + House FY25 appropriations with link in bio ❤️

We are excited to share that Barbara Huggins, our Community Strategies Associate, will provide testimony alongside other Philadelphia, PA advocates on the struggles students experiencing homelessness face.

They will be advocating for increased funding to maintain and expand the School District of Philadelphia's Office of Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness (ECYEH) services and partnerships. If you are an advocate in Pennsylvania, please help spread the word within your networks!

"Every young person in America should have a safe place to call home, with the opportunity to achieve their fullest potential. Unfortunately, one in ten 18 to 25 year olds and one in thirty 13 to 17 year olds experience homelessness in America on their own. " - NNational Network For Youth
Read more here: https://nn4youth.org/2024/07/15/house-appropriations-bill-with-youth-homelessness-programs-passed-committee/

Anyone can be an advocate - and no one has the experiences and knowledge you do! Now more than ever is a perfect time to reach out to your representatives to:

1. BUILD a relationship with your Members of Congress and their staff.
2. EDUCATE Members of Congress and their staff about the local needs and national solutions.
3. ASK Members of Congress and their staff to do at least one thing.

Learn more about advocating for policies to prevent and end homelessness in the link in our bio. ❤️

Did you know that many federal programs that provide services to people experiencing homelessness exclude youth and young adults?

These young people often face unique challenges in accessing the essential systems, services, and resources necessary to their development as adolescents and transition into adulthood. Learn more about youth homelessness with the links in our bio ❤️

Last week, five federal programs that directly impact youth experiencing homelessness were included in the FY25 funding bills that passed House committees.

The Senate appropriations committee will now move their FY25 funding bills, which are likely to be different than in the House. Both chambers have to pass identical legislation, so there is still time to change the funding levels.

Please join us in taking action by filling out NN4Y’s Take Action form to email your representatives, particularly your Senators, advocating for increases to these critical funding requests. https://bit.ly/4cDP18I

Great news! We’ve chosen our dates for next year’s Summit on Youth Homelessness + Hill Day. Stay tuned for more and don't forget to mark your calendar using link in bio 🥳

On Tuesday, July 2, 2024, NN4Y’s National Youth Advisory Council (NYAC) met with HUD’s Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman and Senior Advisor Richard Cho. The NYAC shared their recommendations for policy, regulation, and funding for HUD initiatives targeting youth homelessness. This includes increasing supports around HUD Continuums of Care, Youth Action Boards, and YHDP grants.

See the NYAC recommendations with the link in bio ❤️

Come visit us! We’re at the National Conference on Ending Homelessness in DC chatting with people about how Congress can end youth homelessness. ❤️

July is Disability Pride Month! People with disabilities, including young people with disabilities, are much more likely to experience homelessness than their peers. Young people in particular have a difficult time finding services that are age-appropriate AND accessible.

In the fight to end youth homelessness, we must make sure that the services, resources, and homes provided are safe and secure for everyone. Happy Disability Pride Month! 🩶🩷💛🤍🩵💚🩶

The authority of federal agencies to enforce rules and regulations has been significantly weakened by two SCOTUS rulings, Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo and Corner Post, Inc. v. Board Of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Although these cases don't directly address like the case, the ramifications will be widespread across federal programs that support homeless youth, such as the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act programs and the McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) program.

Learn about the impact on federal programs and funding for youth experiencing homelessness in our new blog post. Link in bio ❤️

🚨There are 4.2 million youth and young adults experiencing who can now be fined and arrested just for sleeping outside. This new ruling in will allow jurisdictions to criminalize people camping on public property.

Our young people already too often encounter age-specific barriers to finding adequate shelters, such as the scarcity of youth shelter beds, narrow eligibility requirements, and prioritization for populations other than youth, as well as limited access to age-appropriate services. This ruling means, that a young person can be arrested for just not being able to find age-appropriate services.

Read our full statement in our blog. Link in bio❤️

Help support this group of young people dedicated to making the system better for Youth and young adults experiencing homelessness. The deadline is this Friday!!

Next Monday, a U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) final rule on overtime that go into effect, changing who is exempt from overtime workers going from exempt to non-exempt, becoming immediately eligible for overtime. The rule increases both the standard salary threshold to be able to receive overtime, and the threshold to be exempt from overtime. It also establishes a mechanism where these thresholds will be adjusted for inflation every three years.

Nonprofits employ over 10% of the private workforce, and many are likely to be affected by the new rules. Our new blog post has a brief summary of what is included in the DOL final rule and it’s implications for nonprofits. Link in bio ❤️

🚨URGENT: Any day now, the Supreme Court will decide if local government can arrest or fine people for sleeping outside if there is no adequate shelter available. Young people experiencing are particularly vulnerable to the consequences of this ruling, as they face additional struggles finding age appropriate services.

-LGBTQ+ youth face a 120% increased risk in comparison to non-LGBTQ+ youth.
-Black youth face an 83% increased risk over their white peers.
-Hispanic youth face a 33% increased risk over their white peers.

We must invest in our communities and address these root causes, not dole out more funding to policing and punishing poverty.

On June 19th, 1865, Union troops arrived in Galevston Bay, Texas, announcing that the over 250,000 enslaved Black people in the state were free. Over 150 years later, the United States formally recognized Juneteenth as our country’s second independence day, establishing it as a National Holiday.

At NN4Y, as we commemorate , we recognize the unique challenges Black youth experiencing homelessness face, including an 83% increased risk of compared to their white peers. They also, along with Hispanic youth, spend longer periods of time homeless than their White, non-Hispanic counterparts, increasing their risk of re-entering homelessness after exiting.

To , we must dismantle these systems of oppression and create pathways that uplift all young people, regardless of their background.

Last week, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced recipients of the Youth Homelessness System Improvement (YHSI) grants, which includes some NN4Y members and partners!

These grants will go directly to communities to prevent and end youth homelessness. Learn more with the link in our bio ❤️

Earlier today, our colleague Trinady Maddock attended SchoolHouse Connection's Congressional Briefing of a facilitated discussion among 8 young people who experienced in high school and throughout their childhoods. It was a great event that shed light on the struggles faced by youth without stable housing, and the important policies required to

Three bills supporting Pennsylvania youth experiencing are primed to pave the way to progress. The First step is getting them heard and passed by the Pennsylvania General Assembly! Take action today to urge PA legislators to hear and pass HB 729, 730, and 1175. Find all the info you need on the bills, the committees considering them, and how to take action with the link in our bio ❤️

And a big thank you to SchoolHouse Connection for putting this information together!

Investing in a young person’s life will enable them to avoid chronic homelessness, intergenerational cycles of poverty, and pervasive instances of trauma. These investments will also allow them to join the competitive workforce and contribute to our economy, experience the benefits of socioeconomic mobility, become leaders of their communities, and participate as civically engaged citizens.

Thank you to the 123 members of the House of Representatives co-signed a letter to support these strong funding levels for EHCY and RHYA programs in the FY25 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill. Learn more about these programs and see if your representatives signed the letter with the link in bio ❤️

🥳LEGISLATIVE WIN 🎉The bipartisan Higher Education Access and Success for Homeless and Foster Youth Act (S. 4270/H.R. 8273) has been reintroduced in the House AND Senate!

Education has a powerful role to play in preventing and ending youth homelessness. We are proud to support this legislation alongside over 40 other organizations. YOU can help us get the legislation passed! Learn more about the bill, and what you can do using the link in our bio ❤️

🎉🎉Safe Havens II: We Must Affirm and Support Transgender, Nonbinary, and Gender Diverse (TNGD) Youth in Out-of-Home Systems

Last week, members of the NN4Y team attended the launch event for a new multi-media call to action from TNGD youth with lived experience in child welfare and juvenile legal systems, and of houselessness to promote their dignity and respect their identities.

Presenters shared their findings on recent developments in promising law and policy and the wave of harmful government action targeting TNGD youth since the release of the groundbreaking Safe Havens: Closing the Gap Between Recommended Practice and Reality for Transgender and Gender Expansive Youth in Out-of-Home Care in 2017. Report in bio ❤️

The latest FY25 U.S. House Earmarks Guidance has been updated! Unfortunately, non-profits are now excluded from HUD EDI funding. As of now, the U.S. Senate is still using the FY24 guidance.

Not all offices are participating in this funding stream, but for those who are, the deadlines are happening now or very soon. Learn more with our updated fact sheet! https://bit.ly/3JFb8i3

🚨 URGENT: Next Monday, April 22, 2024, SCOTUS will hear the most important case about homelessness in 40 years. Johnson v Grants Pass is a landmark case concerning homelessness criminalization and the rights of people experiencing homelessness. Read our new blog post to learn more about how this case will impact youth experiencing homelessness.→https://bit.ly/4d0NXft

🎉 New Blog Post on the Earned Income Tax Credit and Homeless + Foster Youth 🎉
This is the third year Qualified Homeless and Qualified Former Foster Youth are eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit. At least 20% of eligible people for the EITC don’t claim this benefit - likely because they are unaware they qualify. To make things easier, the IRS has released a new pilot, Direct File, to allow people to file their taxes for free directly and virtually with the IRS at no cost. This pilot only supports simple tax needs, including the Earned Income Tax Credit.
Blog post --> https://bit.ly/3UcedMJ

🎉Canceling Student Debt Update🎉
The White House has just announced a new plan to provide student debt relief! If finalized, individuals could have as much as $20k of student debt canceled this fall. Education has a powerful role in preventing and ending youth homelessness, and forgiving student debt is one of the many ways we can ensure young people have access to both education and affordable housing to achieve their fullest potential and stop the cycle of homelessness. Learn more about the plan and see who qualifies with the White House’s new press release → https://bit.ly/3Jc6GqR

Last weekend, Congress passed the final Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 budget package. NN4Y advocated for increased funding for programs targeted to prevent and respond to youth homelessness and several other policy provisions. Read our new fact sheet that shows the specifics for each funding level, the changes over the past four years, and report language by federal agency. https://bit.ly/3vux8sq ❤️

Fiscal Year 2025 earmarks - deadlines are NOW! Use our new fact sheet to understand how to access funding to prevent and end youth homelessness.

Not all offices are participating in this funding stream, but for those who are, the deadlines are happening now or very soon. If you haven’t already done so and are interested in pursuing this funding stream, we urge you to reach out to your U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives now to meet their deadlines. Learn more with our new fact sheet! Link in bio ❤️