Our Purpose
Our purpose is to create a world where all young people have safety, autonomy, and communities of care.
Our Mission
Our mission is to prevent and end youth homelessness by centering unhoused young people, building collective power, and transforming the landscape of the possible.
Mapping a Better Tomorrow
The State Index on Youth Homelessness is a living project created in partnership by True Colors United (TCU) and the National Homelessness Law Center (NHLC)’s Youth Team. The State Index tracks metrics about youth & young adult homelessness in all fifty states and the District of Columbia, with the goal of expanding to include the US territories. We dedicated 2023 to making the State Index reflect the current state of the movement. Directed by feedback from current & formerly unhoused young people, we have overhauled the metrics we track to focus on policies that:
Remove barriers and provide resources
Expand autonomy and shift power
Undermine systems of oppression
Prevent and end youth homelessness
As of release, we have roughly doubled the number of metrics we track from 61 in 2022 to over 120 – and we’re still going. We hope that our new State Index will be useful to a wide range of stakeholders and for a wide range of purposes, from know-your-rights to radical change. We have also expanded the State Index’s website to host an array of resources for the movement: how young people can access legal help through the Homeless Youth Legal Network, how to authentically engage with unhoused young people, the American Bar Association (ABA)’s Model State Statutes, and real-time tracking of youth homelessness legislation around the country. We will host a series of webinars in 2024 to introduce this new digital home for the movement.
Thank you to everyone who has made this new era of the State Index possible – especially each and every young person who has given us their time, labor, and attention. It is a privilege to work with you.
Take a Stand with Us
Every action, no matter how small, contributes to a monumental change. Join us in the fight to end youth homelessness and create a future where every young person can prosper. Together, we are a force for change. Act now to empower the lives of young people across the nation. Here’s how you can make a difference:
Volunteer
Lend your time and skills. We have numerous opportunities for you to engage directly with our mission.
Advocate
Raise your voice. Help us influence policy and make youth homelessness a priority.
Share
Amplify our cause on social media, in your community, and within your networks. Awareness is a powerful tool.
#EndYouthHomelessness
Stay Informed. Stay Involved.
Our journey is constantly evolving and we want you to be a part of every step forward.
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
What it Will Take to End Homelessness
Like many people, I grew up believing that owning a home was the ultimate goal – it signaled success and stability and being a part of the “American Dream”. As a young white woman from the suburbs, I absorbed all … Continue reading
- Katie M Scott
- January 23, 2024
Welcome to the new State Index
We have compiled research on 100+ metrics across 56 jurisdictions here. We want this research to do at least three things: shape the advocacy landscape by centering the priorities of young people with lived experience, document jurisdictions’ laws and policies … Continue reading
- Jeremy Penn
- January 23, 2024
