117th CONGRESS 1st Session |
Recognizing November 2021 as “National Homeless Children and Youth Awareness Month”.
November 16, 2021
Mr. Manchin (for himself, Ms. Collins, Mr. Wyden, Ms. Cantwell, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Coons, Mr. Peters, Ms. Hirono, Ms. Klobuchar, Ms. Hassan, Mr. Van Hollen, Ms. Murkowski, Mr. Blumenthal, and Mr. Reed) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to
Recognizing November 2021 as “National Homeless Children and Youth Awareness Month”.
Whereas, in the United States, public schools identified approximately 1,400,000 homeless children and youth during the 2018–2019 school year;
Whereas an estimated 1,300,000 children younger than 6 years of age in 2018–2019 and approximately 4,200,000 youth and young adults in 2017 experienced homelessness, with many such children, youth, and young adults staying on couches, in motels, in shelters, or outside;
Whereas infants experiencing homelessness are at a higher risk for certain illnesses and health conditions, and families experiencing homelessness are more likely to experience involvement in the child welfare system and difficulty with school attendance;
Whereas more than 1 in 3 high school students experiencing homelessness had attempted suicide, and nearly 1 in 4 high school students experiencing homelessness had experienced dating violence;
Whereas individuals without a high school degree or general educational development certificate (GED) are more than 3 times more likely to report homelessness than their peers, making lack of education the leading risk factor for homelessness;
Whereas, in 2018, the high school graduation rate for students experiencing homelessness was 67.8 percent, compared to 80 percent for low-income students and 85.5 percent for all students;
Whereas the rate of 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 homelessness among children and youth is a complex issue that often co-occurs with deep poverty, low education and employment levels, substance misuse and abuse, mental illness, lack of affordable housing, and family conflict;
Whereas COVID–19 in the United States, which was declared a national emergency under the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), has had a disproportionate effect on children, youth, and families experiencing homelessness; and
Whereas awareness of child and youth homelessness must be heightened to encourage greater support for effective programs to help children and youth overcome homelessness: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved,
(1) supports the efforts of businesses, State and local governments, organizations, educators, and volunteers dedicated to meeting the needs of homeless children and youth;
(2) applauds the initiatives of businesses, State and local governments, organizations, educators, and volunteers that—
(A) use time and resources to raise awareness of child and youth homelessness, the causes of such homelessness, and potential solutions; and
(B) work to prevent homelessness among children and youth;
(3) recognizes November 2021 as “National Homeless Children and Youth Awareness Month”; and
(4) encourages those businesses, State and local governments, organizations, educators, and volunteers to continue to intensify their efforts to address homelessness among children and youth during November 2021.