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the full metrics list
This year, we’ve reformed the Index to focus on unhoused youth and young adults (YYA), aligning it with their experiences and policy needs. Shifting from harm reduction to transformative change, some jurisdictions may see lower scores than before. This is a deliberate strategy, not a setback. Lower scores should motivate, not discourage, jurisdictions. They present an opportunity to adopt policies that effectively tackle and prevent youth homelessness, fostering meaningful progress.
Federal Index
Tracking Federal Bills that Would Eliminate the Need for State Policy Metrics
Because of the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, a federal law that conflicts with a state or local law will almost always overtake, or “preempt”, that state or local law. If there is a conflict between state or local and federal law, federal preemption exists if it is the “clear and manifest” purpose of Congress. For example:
- If it is impossible to follow both laws, the federal law likely preempts the state or local law (called “conflict preemption”).
- If it is an area of law where Congress legislated so extensively that it occupies that entire area of law, state attempts to legislate in this area are likely preempted (“field preemption”).
- And for something like immigration, the U.S. Supreme Court has consistently ruled that the federal government has broad and exclusive power to regulate immigration based on the constitution (“constitutional preemption”). However, there is still an analysis required re: whether the local law is actually attempting to regulate immigration or something else and whether either conflict or field preemption applies.
State preemption of local laws is a bit different. Municipalities generally have no inherent lawmaking authority beyond what states grant them. However, states may not require localities to violate federal law nor violate constitutionally protected rights such as free speech, due process, and equal protection.
As such, there are many recent bills proposed at the federal level that, if passed, might eliminate the need for states to legislate many of the metrics we track on the Index. A full listing of proposed federal bills that relate to Index metrics is available at the bibliography link below. A few key bills are highlighted below.
| Key | Metric Score | Type of Policy | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Right to Housing | 1.0 | H.R. 4232 - Ending Homelessness Act of 2023 | Would prohibit source of income discrimination at the federal level and eliminate the need to track state by state (https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/4232) |
| Right to Housing | 1.0 | H.R. 5038 - HELP Act of 2023 | Would add an eviction, or any information related to an eviction, and any adverse information related to rent or utility arrears as information that must be excluded from consumer credit reports (https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/5038/text) |
| Right to Housing | 1.0 | H.R. 4560 - Housing FIRST Act | Would prohibit a consumer reporting agency from including arrests, juvenile adjudications, civil citations, resolved criminal cases, convictions with completed sentences, and convictions older than 7 years in any tenant screening report. (https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/4560/text) |
| Accessibility of Housing | 2.0 | H.R.9181 - Eleanor Smith Inclusive Home Design Act of 2024 | Would make it unlawful for person or entity to fail to ensure that the dwelling unit contains at least 1 level that complies with visitability standards (https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/9181/text) |
| Education | 1.0 | S.4270 - Higher Education Access and Success for Homeless and Foster youth Act of 2024 | Would require schools to designate a homelessness liaison at any postsecondary institution that receives federal student aid funding (https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/4270/text) |
Suggested Citation: National Homelessness Law Center, "Youth Homelessness Index, Federal Index" https://youthhomelessnessindex.org/maps/federalindex/ (last visited September 12, 2026)
Current Federal Youth Homelessness Policy
In assessing current federal laws that relate to the youth homelessness policies tracked on this Index, they fall into several categories:
- Income, including housing voucher programs;
- Homelessness Services, including funding for street outreach, shelter, transitional housing, and permanent supportive housing programs;
- Priority Level, including planning, coordination, and system improvement grants; and
- Child and Family Services, including transition planning and independent living programs for foster youth.
The Index does not currently track employment or juvenile legal system policies and so they will not be assessed on the federal level at this time.
Federal policy is generally scored according to the same rubric as the state and territorial policies:
- Transformative (+2.0 points): Policy prevents and/or ends youth homelessness (by itself or with other metrics), if effectively implemented
- Transformative Edge (+1.5 points): Policy does not directly prevent and/or end youth homelessness BUT policy undermines systems that cause youth homelessness
- Reformist (+1.0 point): Policy reduces youth homelessness, if effectively implemented, BUT policy relies on systems that cause youth homelessness
- Harm Reduction (+0.5 points): Policy reduces harm to unhoused young people, if effectively implemented, BUT policy reinforces systems that cause youth homelessness
- Status Quo (0.0 points): Policy does not exist OR does not reduce harm to unhoused young people
- Harmful (-0.5 points): Policy causes harm to unhoused young people
- Violent (-1.0 point): Policy causes harm to unhoused young people AND policy is malicious
However, because federal policy mostly involves grants to and requirements of state, local, or tribal governments, and/or nonprofit organizations rather than rights or benefits that youth can access directly, the analysis is slightly different.
For instance, in assessing housing voucher programs that are accessible to youth and young adults, there is a difference between vouchers that can only be used to rent private housing owned by a private landlord and vouchers that can be used for different types of public or community-owned housing. Transferring public money to private landlords for housing is harm reduction at best – it reinforces a commodified housing system that causes homelessness (including youth homelessness). Transferring public money to a nonprofit private landlord via vouchers might be considered reformist (to the extent that a philanthropy or charity model relies on systems that cause youth homelessness) or possibly transformative edge (to the extent that program operates in a way that undermines the usual charitable model). A more solid transformative edge policy would be to require that vouchers be used only in community or publicly owned housing programs.
Federal Advocacy
There are several youth homelessness organizations that advocate on the federal level for more funding for youth homelessness programs and improved program standards, for increased funding and protection for homeless students, and for some of the bills listed in bibliography above.
Sign up for the newsletters and action alerts with these organizations to get involved:
These maps are provided as legal information only and should not be used as legal advice for your specific situation. If you need help with any of the issues described on this website, please check out the Homeless Youth Legal Network (HYLN) directory OR email or call HYLN for help finding a referral to a lawyer.
