The Convoluted Road: How Federal Definitions Perpetuate a Fragmented System

Hear young adult leaders from across the country discuss the complexity of federal definitions of homelessness. They will discuss how the lack of a cohesive definition of homelessness impacts youth and young adults. Also, they will discuss policy solutions that communities can carry out to improve their response to youth homelessness. Federal assistance for youth experiencing or at risk of homelessness is funded primarily through three different agencies: Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Department of Education (ED), and Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Each federal agency administers programs using different definitions of homelessness, with HUD implementing the most narrow. This lack of unified definition has perpetuated a fragmented response to youth and young adult homelessness.