2019 State Index on Youth Homelessness

Each year, True Colors United and the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty collaborate to research, analyze, and publish an annual State Index on Youth Homelessness (the Index) that measures, scores and reports on the systems, environment, and laws of all states as they relate to preventing and ending youth homelessness. The Index paints a broad picture of where states currently stand in these categories and how they can collectively and individually improve their measures to end and prevent youth homelessness. The Index also provides an assessment of all states’ current capacity to successfully prevent and end youth homelessness based on certain benchmarks and criteria. These scores and assessments should serve as a guide for policymakers and advocates on how to make changes to existing policies, systems, and services towards ending and preventing youth homelessness at the state level.