Amendments Focus on Families, Youth and Children
On September 12, 2012, the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) released an amendment to Opening Doors, the federal strategic plan to prevent and end homelessness. The two-part amendment focuses on the goal of preventing and ending homelessness for families, youth and children by 2020. During the spring and summer USICH sought stakeholder feedback on promising strategies to meet this goal.
- The first part, “Improving Education Outcomes for Children and Youth,” amends objectives 2 and 5 by focusing on the educational needs of children and youth experiencing homelessness. The amendment emphasizes the importance of access to education, and aims to expand stakeholder awareness of successful strategies for better serving this population.
- The second part, “Meeting the Unique Needs of Unaccompanied Youth,” expands objective 8 by describing the steps needed to assist unaccompanied youth experiencing homelessness. The amendment notes that “the needs of unaccompanied youth who become homeless are distinct from those of adults or families experiencing homelessness… a unique set of strategies is required to end homelessness for this population.”
USICH emphasizes the ongoing need for more and better data regarding the extent of child and youth homelessness, as well as better evidence of effective interventions to prevent and end homelessness in this population.
Click here for the amendment to Opening Doors.
Click here for the Opening Doors plan.
