Statistics show that more than 4 million young people and young families face homelessness, prompting rare bipartisan action in Congress to expand federal support and resolve the growing crisis.
Sens. D-Md. Angela Alsobrooks and R-Ala. Katie Britt will introduce the Homeless Children and Youth Act on Wednesday, the former’s previous major bipartisan legislation since it was sworn in in January.
Alsobrooks told Fox News Digital that officials must make sure that children who are homeless get the support they need to get the situation out of their lives forever.
“This legislation will begin to close barriers to many young families’ services, and one of the guiding principles for me is a real action: ‘Love your neighbors themselves.’ She said: “No one should experience homelessness and HCYA is an important step to end homelessness in our community and breaking the generational cycle.” ”
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Oakland, CA, homeless camp. (Getty Image)
Britt added: “No child should be prevented from getting the critical aid they need” and the bill would “simplify” the definition of homelessness for all federal agencies.
The bill aims to better define homeless people in a federal context to provide more comprehensive resources. In the current code, in some areas of the government, it does not include counting young people living with people other than parents or living outside motel rooms because of people experiencing homelessness, which other federal programs believe is the case.
This will also “increase visibility and understanding of the issue”, supporters say, as young people are often seen as a group of people who can face homelessness.
Proponents say the bill will help communities break cycles by standardizing the definition of youth homelessness and opening up more federal resources to those affected.
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Senator Angela Alsobrooks. (Wapo via Getty)
In Washington, D.C., youth homelessness has been a problem a few years ago, before defeating former Gov. Larry Hogan in her current seat.
During his tenure as a senior executive of Prince George County, the county established a Youth Action Committee, which aims to address the crisis directly from the perspective of young people.
In 2024, Alsobrooks donated $2 million to the Urban Development of Housing and Urban Development to assist Prince George’s organization in combating youth homelessness.
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Senator Katie Britt speaks from the podium. (Getty Image)
A homeless aid organization in nearby Frederick County praised the legislation.
Frederick's partnership with the Student Homeless Program told Fox News Digital.
“Shortening the homeless period for young people by providing immediate support increases the likelihood that young people can stay connected with schools,” Muntz said.
“We know that young people who don’t graduate from high school are more likely to experience homelessness like adults, which makes this an early intervention to prevent adult homelessness.”
According to its sponsors, at least 15 homeless advocacy groups have also endorsed the bill.