“We need a collective effort to get service providers to understand our daily struggles. The system builds walls around us that make it more challenging to reach those in power; they want to develop programs for us but will get nowhere if they don’t ask us what we need. We are the experts on what we need, and no book can teach that. We must sit at the table and help you pioneer what the end of homelessness will look like.”
Theo O.
What Young People Have Taught Us
We will never end and prevent youth homelessness as individual organizations, following individual work plans from individual funders, accountable to people who aren’t directly impacted by homelessness, and constrained by rules that prevent us from directly lobbying for legislative change. That’s the non-profit industrial complex in action. As people who work for non-profit organizations that benefit from this system, we know the challenge of trying to do the necessary transformational work from within our current structures.
What we also know is that if we want to prevent and end youth homelessness, we need to work collectively to: 1. Develop and align our theories of change, 2. Agree on and implement a coordinated strategy that centers and is accountable to those directly impacted by youth homelessness, and 3. Work to dismantle, reimagine, and replace the structures that contribute to homelessness, including charity-based models of care. We have an unprecedented opportunity now to both defend young people and prevent harm from the ad hoc attempts to dismantle the current federal systems that fund our nonprofit youth homelessness systems and to develop our vision and pursue buy-in for rebuilding a new transformative system.
“I think the biggest issue is that homelessness as a whole is not seen as a human issue. It’s a political issue. I personally will always need help, both from the government, and from others. I can’t shower on my own, how would I do regular work and maintain a house alone?”
Kamiron K.
Links, resources, and how to get involved with rapid response and rebuilding in the youth homelessness space:
Equal Access Rule
What’s Going On & Helpful Links
As you have likely heard, the new HUD Secretary has directed HUD to stop enforcing the Equal Access Rule, which required shelters and other programs receiving HUD funding to ensure equal access to its programs regardless of gender identity. However, not enforcing the rule does not change the rule and so EAR is still law. They will almost certainly try to replace the rule through the notice & comment process, which will be an excellent opportunity to slow down and gum up the works.
Resources & How to Get Involved
NHLC is partnering with other organizations to strategize and respond to attempts to rescind or weaponize the Equal Access Rule. We’re keeping an eye on this page for rule change language. The ABA Commission on Homelessness and Poverty just hosted “Grassroots Workshop Series: Public Comments – Participating in Federal Agencies Drafting Rules and Regulations”. We will post a link to the training when it is available.
HUD
What’s Going On & How to Get Involved
In an effort to align with this admins priorities/EOs, the FY2024 CoC grant agreements include changes that contradict the NOFO and differ from prior grant agreements. At this point, however, no underlying law or regulation that applies to CoCs has changed.
This article and this article summarizes the HUD technical assistance and capacity building contract cancellations.
HUD and the Department of Homeland Security recently signed an MOU that would require HUD to share information with DHS and place a full-time staff member at DHS’s “Incident Command Center”.
There have also been some changes to the basic requirements for Disaster Recovery funds that will make it harder to prioritize the people that need them most.
Links & Resources
NHLC has an analysis of the FY2024 CoC grant agreements that can be shared upon request. Email Katie at kmeyerscott@homelesslaw.org if you’d like access to the document.
SchoolHouse Connection and National Network for Youth recently hosted a webinar summarizing info about funding, grants, and contracts for 2025/2026 (among other things!).
Health and Human Services Stop Work Orders and Other Threats
What’s Going On & Helpful Links
On February 18, 2025, providers who receive funding through HHS’s Legal Services for Unaccompanied Children program were ordered to stop work immediately.
As of February 21, 2025, providers were reporting that the memo was rescinded.
Check out the Immigration Policy Tracking Project for more info.
Resources & How to Get Involved
If you have contact with or work with unaccompanied young people, please make sure to check in with them and help them find alternative resources for representation in their immigration hearings. If you need help, email hyln@americanbar.org. If you want to stay up to date on this issue, sign up for emails from https://supportkind.org/.
ICE Raids and Immigration
What’s Going On & Helpful Links
ICE reportedly released a memo announcing an intent to track down unaccompanied minors.
Resources & How to Get Involved
ICE guidance for shelters: https://homelesslaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/ICE-Guidance.pdf
Dept. of Education Threats
What’s Going On & Helpful Links
SchoolHouse Connection has some excellent information about the E.O. directing the dismantling of the Dept. of Ed here. They also have this helpful summary of the rights of students.
Resources & How to Get Involved
IRS and Taxes
What’s Going On & Helpful Links
Following DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s effort to deputize IRS agents for immigration enforcement, the IRS has apparently reached deal to share taxpayer data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). ICE will provide the IRS with a list of names to cross-reference with their confidential taxpayer databases.
There has long been a firewall between the IRS and immigration enforcement in order to encourage undocumented people to file taxes, (as they are legally required to do).
Resources & How to Get Involved
Young people who have filed taxes using an ITIN in the past should be advised to take precautions at the addresses and workplaces known to the IRS and to refresh their knowledge about their resources and rights.
Public Benefits
What’s Going On & Helpful Links
EO re: financial “benefits” to people without “legal status”: This order requires all federal agencies and departments to conduct a thorough review of government programs to identify and end “all taxpayer-funded benefits for illegal aliens” (which it does not define – and there is some speculation that it might include people granted temporary protected statuses, parolees, etc. since undocumented immigrants cannot access any federal benefits except extremely limited emergency medical coverage via Medicaid; another potential concern is whether access to school is at risk, despite the Supreme Court decision in 1982 ensuring access for undocumented kids). Agencies will then be directed to take “corrective action” to ensure that federal funds are not being used to support “sanctuary policies” or “assist with illegal immigration”.
Resources & How to Get Involved
This EO in and of itself does not change current eligibility for federally funded public benefits programs, and does not change how any federally funded programs are currently administered. Changing these benefit programs would take an act of Congress.
Disability Rights
Section 504 attacks: A group of 17 states have sued the United States government, asking the court to get rid of Section 504 and its new rules that protect people with disabilities from discrimination in health care and human services (the case is called Texas v. Becerra ). Advocates are concerned that Trump’s Dept of Justice won’t bother defending the suit, and that protections for disabled students and for all disabled people in healthcare are at risk. See this site from one of our partners for more info and action items: https://dredf.org/protect-504/
Resources & How to Get Involved
“In order to heal, the wound or pain has to be in the past. We aren’t there. We are still inflicting pain. We can create healing spaces and do individual and personal healing, but as far as for all of youth homelessness, we aren’t there. There is a misalignment between political promises surrounding houselessness and actions being taken against people experiencing housing instability. Healing starts with the acknowledgement of harm.”
Focus Group Participant
Research Organizations Supporting the Movement
Center for Budget and Policy Priorities is a nonpartisan research and policy institute that advances federal and state policies to help build a nation where everyone — regardless of income, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, ZIP code, immigration status, or disability status — has the resources they need to thrive and share in the nation’s prosperity. We are particularly interested in their work on tax policy.
Chapin Hall is dedicated to the idea that evidence should drive decisions. They combine rigorous research methods and policy expertise to generate evidence and support its use. They work in three primary impact areas: child welfare systems; community capacity, including schools, courts and before- and after-school programs; and youth homelessness.
The Urban Institute is a nonprofit research organization that provides data and evidence to help advance upward mobility and equity. We are a trusted source for changemakers who seek to strengthen decision-making, create inclusive economic growth, and improve the well-being of families and communities. We are particularly interested in their work on decommodification of housing.
“I work with the city's homeless coalition – we’re supposed to come together to talk about food and housing. But one member was anti-trans and now the work is distracted from the real issues to discuss if this person is allowed to treat homeless trans kids poorly. Society is built around acting on immediate dangers so we don’t have time to focus on bigger systemic pictures. It’s built so we can never stand next to each other and rise up against those to blame for our strife. Survival prevents us from elevating ourselves.”
E. Jasper McEwan
Stay Informed. Stay Involved.
The Index is constantly evolving and we want it to reflect what YOU need to end youth homelessness in your community. Check out our blog posts for our most recent news and insights.
March 2025 Updates
Please see below for all email updates sent in March 2025. Feel free to reach out to Katie at kmeyerscott at homelesslaw.org with any questions or to be added to the email list! ********** From: Katie Meyer Scott Sent: Monday, … Continue reading
- Katie M Scott
- March 5, 2025
February 2025 Updates
Please see below for all email updates sent in February 2025. Feel free to reach out to Katie at kmeyerscott at homelesslaw.org with any questions or to be added to the email list! From: Katie Meyer Scott <kmeyerscott@homelesslaw.org> Sent: … Continue reading
- Katie M Scott
- February 21, 2025
The Systems That Displace Us
My Nana, a Black woman born and bred in Five Points Denver, Colorado, fought to protect her community of people living in the Denver Housing Projects for more than five decades. She was relentless in her drive towards equity and … Continue reading
- Aleya Jones
- February 4, 2024
