Our Publicist, Lyna Chahine, has researched National Homeless Youth Awareness Month.
HistoryÂ
November was first declared as National Homeless Youth Awareness Month in 2007. Since then, November has been a time to acknowledge the children and families experiencing homelessness. The goal of National Homeless Youth Awareness Month is to inform the public about the causes (family conflict, economic hardship, aging out of foster care, LGBTQ+ identity, trafficking) and realities of youth homelessness, which are often hidden. It brings attention to the loss of stability, increased risks ( trauma, substance abuse, trafficking), and educational/health struggles faced by these youth.Â
 Some key organizations and initiatives that focus on making a change include:
Convent House: This organization runs a “Sleep Out” event where supporters sleep outside in solidarity and raise significant funds for youth shelters.
National Child Traumatic Stress Network: This organization complies resources to help individuals and families dealing with the trauma associated with youth homelessness.
National Network for Youth: This organization tackles youth homelessness through policy advocacy, community support, and empowering young leaders by connecting them with housing, education, and services, promoting systemic change, and training providers on best practices, all while centering the voices of youth with lived experience to create solutions that prevent and end youth homelessness.Â
- Funding Levels​​​ Funding for programs like the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act program will remain unchanged under this temporary measure.
- HHS, ED, and HUD Are Reopening​​ All Federal Agencies will begin reopening offices and systems, allowing communication with program officers to resume.
- New Grants Processing​ Providers waiting on awards, reimbursements, or technical assistance will begin to see progress as staff return.
- Reinstated Federal Employees Federal employees who were furloughed or terminated, including Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) program officers, will be reinstated.Â
- In the United States, millions of people experience homelessness each year, including over 500,000 unaccompanied youth
- Public Schools Identified Nearly 1.4 Million Students Experiencing Homelessness in the 2022-2023 School Year
- Nearly half (48%) of students experiencing homelessness in the 2022-2023 school year were chronically absent, a rate that is 12 percentage points higher than other low-income students, and 22 percentage points higher than all students.
- The 2021-2022 national average graduation rate for homeless students was 68%. This is 13 percentage points below other low-income students, and nearly 19 percentage points below all students.
How You can get InvolvedÂ
Conferences you can attend:
- 2026 National Summit on Youth Homelessness + Hill Day: March 12-13, 2026
- In Washington, D.C., NN4Y works to end youth, young adult, and young parent homelessness through better policy, better regulations, and increased funding for federal programs that serve young people. Their policy priorities and agenda are driven by the National Youth Advisory Council composed of young leaders from across the country who have experienced multiple forms of homelessness, and their network of more than 300 community-based youth service providers, whose local experience and expertise shape national advocacy and solutions.
- Available to join online
- In Washington, D.C., NN4Y works to end youth, young adult, and young parent homelessness through better policy, better regulations, and increased funding for federal programs that serve young people. Their policy priorities and agenda are driven by the National Youth Advisory Council composed of young leaders from across the country who have experienced multiple forms of homelessness, and their network of more than 300 community-based youth service providers, whose local experience and expertise shape national advocacy and solutions.
- National Symposium On Solutions to End Youth Homelessness OCTOBER 7-8, 2025Â |Â BALTIMORE, MD
- Available to join online
Spread Awareness
- Use social media to spread awareness
- Hashtags: use #EndYouth Homelessness, #NHYAM (National Homeless Youth Awareness Month), #YouthHOPE #WearGreenDay
Volunteer
- Donate your time at local shelters for activities like serving meals, mentoring, or helping with programs
- Rescue Mission of TrentonÂ
- https://rescuemissionoftrenton.org/volunteer/
- You can help by serving meals at lunchtime,organizing clothes in our Thrift Store,or assisting with inventory.
- Trenton Area Soup Kitchen
- Rescue Mission of TrentonÂ
Resources
Mercer County Homeless Hotline – (609) 468-8296
Provides assistance for families and individuals in a homeless situation to be placed in a motel/hotel for one night per year. The program also provides services that link recipients with other emergency assistance programs for which they may be eligible. Please call the hotline for immediate assistance. If the call is not answered, please leave a message and the on-call staff member will return all messages. Calls placed during the day will be returned during business hours.Â
Arm in Arm (Mercer County)
Offers food and financial support for basic needs, reachable through TCNJ’s community engagement
The I Am Here: Vital Document Legal Hotline for Youth (1-888-870-DOCS)
 This is a free hotline, dedicated legal assistance hotline for youth experiencing homelessness to help obtain essential identification and vital documents. Getting vital documents like IDs and birth certificates shouldn’t be hard, but for young people experiencing homelessness, it often is. Every state is different, adding more barriers for youth in tough situations
- Available Every Wednesday + Voicemails and Texts are Encouraged
12 to 8 PM Eastern | 11 AM to 7 PM Central | 10 AM to 6 PM Mountain | 9 AM to 5 PM Pacific
On Campus Resources
The TCNJ Cares program works extensively with individual students and campus and community partners to ensure that our students are connected to the resources to develop new skills in navigating challenging experiences and to ultimately meet their goals.
The Student Emergency Fund (also called the Lions Lifting Lions Fund) is a joint venture between the Division of Student Affairs and donations given by the TCNJ community. The SEF assists TCNJ students by providing financial support when they need assistance with unexpected, emergency expenses surrounding situations such as accidents, illness, death of a family member, fire damage, co-pay coverage for medical or mental health services, or the need for temporary housing or food. This funding is not intended to replace or supplement existing financial aid and does not have to be repaid.