Homeless Youth Resources
This page contains homeless youth resources and information about a variety of programs and initiatives that can be used to assist youth service providers in preventing and ending youth homelessness. This page contains policy guidance, best practices and publications as well as tools and links to other agencies.
This page also explains how HUD programs are currently serving homeless youth, and how HUD works with other agencies to address this issue.
Resources
Resources for Homeless Youth Service Providers
This page contains guidance documents from HUD about youth homelessness. It also identifies organizations and agencies with which HUD partners to provide homeless youth services.
YHDP Community Resources
There are many lessons to be learned and resources that can help all communities in their efforts to prevent and end homelessness among youth.
Models of Rapid Re-housing for Homeless Youth
These profiles of rapid rehousing (RRH), programs demonstrate how successful strategies can be used to assist transition-age youth in obtaining and maintaining permanent housing.
Housing and Education Cross-Systems Collaborative
This page contains case studies and resources about cross-system collaboration between housing and service providers for homeless and the education sector.
Resources to Count Youth at Risk of Homelessness
HUD has released new resources to help communities count homeless youth. Although the tools can be used at your own discretion, they offer unique insight from experts and communities across the country on how to plan and conduct a count to identify youth who are homeless, within the context of Point-in-Time counts.
Initiatives and programs | Homeless youth resources
Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program
This program is intended to decrease the number of young people experiencing homelessness.
Performance Partnership Pilots For Disconnected Youth (P3)
P3 gives local, state, or Tribal governments the flexibility to invent to improve outcomes for some of the nation’s most vulnerable youth.
LGBTQ Youth Homelessness Prevention Initiative
The LGBTQ Youth Homelessness Prevention initiative helps to identify and implement successful strategies to ensure that young people are not left without homes because of their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.
More homeless youth resources
According to IDHS, Illinois has its Homeless Youth program that has the following three components:
- Outreach (OR): Outreach programs aim to identify homeless youth and provide case management and other services to help them make healthy lifestyle choices.
- Emergency Shelter/Interim Housing (ES)
For up to 120 days, emergency/interim housing programs offer temporary housing and services for homeless youth. These programs aim to provide basic safety, survival, and immediate needs to homeless youth. They also help them to reunite with their families, or transition from homelessness to self-sufficient living. - Transitional Living (TL) programs
For up to 24 months, Transitional Living programs offer housing and services for homeless youth. These programs are intended to help youth transition from homelessness to self-sufficient living and/or reunite them with their families, if possible.The Transitional Living Program provides shelter for homeless youth up to 21 months. TLP services are designed to assist young people in gaining independence and a life that is productive, healthy, and fulfilling.
More than 191 community-based residence centers provide these services. This program helps homeless youths to improve their life skills and social interactions, as well as providing educational opportunities and job preparation. It also ensures that all mental and physical health care needs are met. These programs also teach parenting skills to parents of teens who are pregnant or have just turned 18. You must be aged between 16 and 22, and either homeless or living in shelters to be eligible for this benefit program. To locate the runaway and homeless youth basic center nearest you, call (toll-free) at: 1-800-621-4000
Please view this PDF for resources for homeless youth in Chicago.
Please view this website for a homeless youth provider agency list in Illinois.
You can also check out my post on how to run away from home and survive.