Explore Our Glossary
True Colors United and the National Homelessness Law Center were intentional when choosing the terms found throughout the Index. This included incorporating language that young people experiencing homelessness may use to describe themselves, as well as ensuring that the chosen terms accurately convey how the community wants to be—and should be—represented. To provide clarity, below is a list of commonly used terms and acronyms, arranged alphabetically, found throughout the Index.
Child
The Index uses terms such as “child,” “children,” and “minor” where they are legally significant because sources such as statutes, codes, and regulations use them. Because most (but not all) jurisdictions set the age of majority (AKA adulthood) at 18, most (but not all) jurisdictions define these terms to mean young people under the age of 18. But for youth in foster care, juvenile legal systems, or both, a majority of jurisdictions have increased the age limits in these terms’ definitions past the age of majority, which means that in some contexts, they can refer to legal adults. Because of problems like this, the Index prefers to use terms such as “youth” and “young adult” when it is referring to those under and over the age of majority.
Cisgender
An adjective that refers to someone whose gender identity aligns with the sex they were assigned at birth. This is different from the term ‘endosex,’ which refers to biological sex (not gender).
Couch surfing
The act of moving from one temporary living arrangement to another without having a safe, stable place to live.
Criminalize
To turn an activity into a criminal offense by making it illegal or turn someone into a criminal by making their activities illegal.
Endosex
An adjective that refers to people whose biological sex characteristics fit into typical binary notions of female or male bodies. This is different from terms such as ‘cisgender,’ which refers to gender (not biological sex).
Federal Runaway & Homeless Youth Act
The federal law that provides funding for three pillars of early intervention for youth experiencing homelessness: street outreach, basic centers, and transitional living.
Gender Affirming Care
Gender-affirming care is healthcare that affirms someone’s gender. It can consist of an array of medical and non-medical services, including mental healthcare, hormone treatment, and surgery.
Gender Expression
A person’s external expression of their gender, usually through behavior, mannerisms, clothing, haircut, and voice. Gender expression may or may not conform to socially defined gender binaries of behavior and characteristics.
Gender Identity
A person’s internal sense of their own gender. Examples of gender identities include: transgender man, cisgender man, transgender woman, cisgender woman, nonbinary, genderfluid, and culturally-specific genders (such as two-spirit). One’s gender identity can be the same or different from their sex assigned at birth.
Homeless
Also referred to as ‘unhoused’ and ‘houseless,’ ‘homeless’ is an adjective that means not having safe, stable, and functional housing. This includes (but is not limited to) sleeping or staying in places such as shelters, hotels, motels, campgrounds, cars, parks, public spaces, or couch surfing due to a lack of alternative, stable living arrangements.
Indigenous
We use this adjective to mean those who are also referred to as Native American, Alaskan Native, and Native Hawaiian. We know that this definition is at once both limiting (it does not include Samoan or Chamorro people, or indigenous people from elsewhere who now live in the United States), and collapsing (it merges different indigenous people into one definition). Where possible, we will use the most precise language available.
Intersex
An adjective that refers to people whose biological sex characteristics do not fit into typical binary notions of female or male bodies. This is different from terms such as ‘trans’ or ‘nonbinary,’ which refer to gender (not biological sex).
Jurisdiction
We have shifted to using the term ‘jurisdiction’ instead of ‘state’ as a way to refer to one of the fifty US states, five US territories, or the District of Columbia. Unless otherwise defined within the text, ‘jurisdiction’ does not refer to local jurisdictions such as counties, county-equivalents, or municipalities.
LGBTQ+
An acronym that means, ‘lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and/or questioning, plus’.
LGBTQIA2S+
An acronym that means, ‘lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and/or questioning, intersex, asexual, two-spirit, plus’.
McKinney-Vento
Refers to the Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. 11431.
Minor
The Index uses terms such as “child,” “children,” and “minor” where they are legally significant because sources such as statutes, codes, and regulations use them. Because most (but not all) jurisdictions set the age of majority (AKA adulthood) at 18, most (but not all) jurisdictions define these terms to mean young people under the age of 18. But for youth in foster care, juvenile legal systems, or both, a majority of jurisdictions have increased the age limits in these terms’ definitions past the age of majority, which means that in some contexts, they can refer to legal adults. Because of problems like this, the Index prefers to use terms such as “youth” and “young adult” when it is referring to those under and over the age of majority.
Nonbinary
An adjective that refers to people whose gender identity does not fit within a gender system that is binary (female/male, woman/man, mujer/hombre, etc.) This is different from the term ‘intersex,’ which refers to biological sex (not gender). Some nonbinary people identify as trans, and some do not.
Orientation
Who people are attracted or not attracted to, typically in the context of sexual and/or romantic orientation. Common examples of orientations include: lesbian, gay/homosexual, bisexual (bi), pansexual (pan), asexual (ace), and straight/heterosexual.
RHY
An acronym that means, “runaway and homeless youth”.
Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA)
For the purposes of the Index, the term RHYA is used as shorthand for a law or laws at the state/territory level that provide a significant level of prevention, identification, and/or funded early intervention services (drop-in centers, street outreach, community programs, etc.), coordinated entry and assessment (emergency/crisis response, shelters, host homes, transitional housing, etc.), or tailored housing solutions (non-time limited affordable housing, short-term assistance, etc.) specifically for unaccompanied youth experiencing homelessness.
State
In the context of the Index, the terms “state” and “states” include the five US territories and the District of Columbia.
Status offense
Status offenses are laws that criminalize minors for behaviors or actions that are legal for adults, for example: not attending school, staying out past curfew, or running away from home.
System
In the context of the Index, the term “system” means legal systems that interact with young people, for example: criminal legal systems, immigration systems, and family law systems.
Trans
A common shortening of the term, “transgender.” An adjective that refers to people whose gender identity differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. This is different from the term ‘intersex,’ which refers to biological sex (not gender). Some trans people identify as nonbinary, and some do not.
Transition Age Youth
A term that refers to young people who are in and/or between late adolescence (ages 15-16) and early adulthood (ages 24-26).
Unaccompanied Youth
Youth who are not in the physical custody of their parent, guardian, or custodian.
Unhoused
Also referred to as ‘homeless’ and ‘houseless,’ ‘unhoused’ is an adjective that means not having safe, stable, and functional housing. This includes (but is not limited to) sleeping or staying in places such as shelters, hotels, motels, campgrounds, cars, parks, public spaces, or couch surfing due to a lack of alternative, stable living arrangements.
Young Adult
Unless otherwise defined within the text, we use the term to refer to young people who are over the age of majority, typically ages 18-29.
Young People
Unless otherwise defined within the text, we use this as an umbrella term to mean both youth and young adults.
Youth
Unless otherwise defined within the text, we use the term to refer to young people who are under the age of majority, typically ages 12-17.
YYA
An acronym that means “youth and young adults.” Unless otherwise defined within the text, we use this as an umbrella term to mean both youth and young adults.
