Youth Homelessness and Juvenile Justice System Involvement

• NCJ Number: 306462
• Date Published: March 2023
• Length: 2 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2019-MU-MU-K039
• Agencies: OJJDP-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Factsheet

Annotation

This document serves as a fact sheet on the causes and potential solutions to youth homelessness.

Abstract

This brief document highlights statistics regarding youth experiencing homelessness and their disproportionate levels of contact with juvenile justice systems. It notes that 4.2 million youth and young adults are estimated to experience homelessness each year, and about 57 percent of those youth are estimated to have prior records of foster care, juvenile justice involvement, or both. The document lists some risk factors and disparities, key definitions, and spotlights three states’ efforts to end and prevent youth homelessness. Some promising interventions described by the document include: host homes; rapid re-housing; direct cash transfers; and family and kinship strengthening. The document also provides a bibliography of sources cited.