KNOW YOUR RIGHTS: A SERIES FROM THE NATIONAL HOMELESSNESS LAW CENTER 

In the United States, a legal right is an advantage or benefit secured and protected by law, that can be enforced by a court. 

Yes! Generally, young people have the same constitutional rights as adults, such as freedom of expression, the right against self-incrimination, the right against cruel and unusual punishment, and the right to equal protection of the law. Children also have some rights that adults do not, such as the right to a free public education and the right to have basic needs met by parents or the state. There are also some rights that are specifically denied to young people, such as the right to vote or the right to contract. 

Check out our Know Your Rights videos for youth and young adults on TikTok and the corresponding fact sheets below. And check out the Homeless Youth Handbook for your state. 

If you think your rights have been violated or you aren’t able to access something you have a right to, please visit the Homeless Youth Legal Network Directory and find a lawyer near you that provides free legal services to youth. 

First, check out where your state ranks on laws and policies that help or hurt youth and young adults experiencing homelessness at the State Index on Youth Homelessness. Then, get involved with an organization that is fighting for better laws and policies for young people at the national, state, and local level. Here are few: 

• National Network for Youth 
• SchoolHouse Connection 
• True Colors United 
• National Youth Rights Association 
• A Way Home America

Also read the 2019 report on laws affecting unaccompanied homeless youth in America, Alone Without A Home here.