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Why This Topic Is Important
On a January night in 2022, 171,521 people living in California (44 per 10,000) were identified as homeless, including 9,520 unaccompanied young people under age 25—the highest figures among U.S. states (1). On this night, California accounted for 30% of the nation's overall homeless count and 32% of homeless unaccompanied youth (1). Over the previous calendar year, 2021, an estimated 268,263 Californians received services from public homelessness programs, including 25,182 unaccompanied youth (2).

During the 2020-21 school year, 3.8% of California's school-aged children were recorded as homeless—not including young children who were not enrolled in public preschool, students who experienced homelessness during the summer only, or those who had dropped out of school; the number of homeless students in California (around 230,000) also was the highest in the nation, representing more than 1 in 5 U.S. public school students recorded as homeless that school year (3).

Homelessness at any point in a young person's life can cause severe trauma, disrupt their cognitive and psychosocial development, and put their health and safety at risk (4). Homeless children are more likely than others to experience hunger and malnutrition, physical and mental health issues, and academic problems (4). Many of these children and youth are exposed to mental illness, substance abuse, family instability, domestic violence, or deep poverty before becoming homeless, and homelessness increases their vulnerability to additional trauma (4). For example, homeless youth are vulnerable to exploitation, physical and sexual victimization, and other harmful experiences (4, 5).

Some adolescents and young adults are at heightened risk for homelessness, such as African American/black and Hispanic/Latino youth, those who identify as LGBTQ, child welfare- and juvenile justice-involved populations, youth with disabilities, English learners, and young people who are pregnant or parenting (2, 3, 6).
For more information, see kidsdata.org’s Research & Links section.

Sources for this narrative:

1.  U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. (2022). The 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress, part 1: Point-in-time estimates of homelessness. Retrieved from: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/ahar/2022-ahar-part-1-pit-estimates-of-homelessness-in-the-us.html

2.  California Interagency Council on Homelessness. (2022). Action plan for preventing and ending homelessness in California. Retrieved from: https://bcsh.ca.gov/calich/action_plan.html

3.  National Center for Homeless Education. (2022). Student homelessness in America: School years 2018-19 to 2020-21. Retrieved from: https://nche.ed.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Student-Homelessness-in-America-2022.pdf

4.  American Academy of Pediatrics, Council on Community Pediatrics. (2022). Providing care for children and adolescents facing homelessness and housing insecurity. Pediatrics, 131(6), 1206-1210. Retrieved from: https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/131/6/1206/31138/Providing-Care-for-Children-and-Adolescents-Facing

5.  Gewirtz O'Brien, J. R., et al. (2020). Mental health outcomes among homeless, runaway, and stably housed youth. Pediatrics, 145(4), e20192674. Retrieved from: https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/145/4/e20192674/36969/Mental-Health-Outcomes-Among-Homeless-Runaway-and

6.  Morton, M. H., et al. (2020). Interventions for youth homelessness: A systematic review of effectiveness studies. Children and Youth Services Review, 116(4), 105096. Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740920308616
Policy Implications
California faces a homelessness crisis. The state's homeless population is the largest in the nation and has the highest proportion of homeless people staying in unsheltered locations—and numbers are rising (1). Children and adults of color represent a disproportionate share of Californians experiencing homelessness (2, 3). Institutionalized discrimination, poverty, trauma, mental illness, addiction, domestic violence, child welfare or criminal justice systems involvement, family or school problems, and disability, in addition to unavailability of affordable housing, are among the many factors that can contribute to a family or young person becoming homeless (4, 5). Policies addressing homelessness operate at multiple levels; together they can prevent people from becoming homeless in the first place, re-establish stable housing during an episode of homelessness, and end long-term homelessness through permanent housing with supportive services.

California has enacted dozens of policy changes and approved billions in funding to address homelessness and the supply of affordable housing (6, 7). Local jurisdictions also have expanded funding and services to address homelessness and housing affordability (5, 7). While these are substantial steps forward, continued efforts, investments, and coordination across sectors and levels of government will be needed to end the homelessness crisis.

Policy and program options to address family and youth homelessness include:
  • Supporting California's homelessness action plan through strategic investments, policy and programmatic changes, multisector partnerships, and local planning efforts (7)
  • Increasing equitable access to support programs for families and youth before there is a risk of homelessness; such programs may include employment and education support, financial assistance, mental health services, substance abuse treatment, parenting programs, and domestic violence services (5, 7)
  • Addressing systemic factors that place certain young people—e.g., youth of color, LGBTQ young people, and systems-involved youth—at greater risk of becoming homeless, and improving collaboration among child welfare, juvenile justice, education, and other sectors (5, 6, 7, 8)
  • Strengthening the capacity of local communities, across urban and rural areas, to identify those at highest risk for homelessness and to intervene early with coordinated housing programs that offer case management and supportive services, housing subsidies or cash assistance to help people stay in their homes or gain stable housing, and eviction prevention services (5, 6, 7, 8)
  • Expanding state and local policies that increase the affordability of housing and incentivize the development of new housing for very low-income and homeless populations; as part of this, increasing the supply of affordable housing that is paired with social, health, and other supportive resources and services (5, 7)
  • Strengthening rapid rehousing programs for those who have recently lost their homes, providing help finding a new home and/or flexible financial assistance with security deposits and rent (5, 7)
  • Promoting permanent supportive housing for those experiencing chronic homelessness, such as subsidized apartments with links to services for mental health, addiction, health care, job training, and other needs (5, 7)
  • Ensuring that sufficient, ongoing funding is in place to address homelessness among children and young adults through tailored community outreach, open access drop-in centers, appropriate and accessible shelters and navigation centers, youth-centered permanent supportive housing, and intensive case management with individualized mentoring (6, 8)
  • Investing in long-term efforts to safeguard against and eliminate sexual exploitation and human trafficking, to which homeless youth are particularly vulnerable (6, 9)
  • Ensuring adequate resources, staffing, and training are in place for homeless liaisons in K–12 and public college settings to meet the needs of students experiencing homelessness, in alignment with federal and state law (3, 6)
  • Advancing trauma- and resilience-informed programs that address the consequences of trauma among those experiencing homelessness, while empowering youth and families through strength-building strategies (7, 10)
  • Furthering data collection and program evaluation efforts in order to accurately assess homeless populations, identify best practices, plan appropriate funding and services, and improve policy decisions (3, 6, 7, 8)
For more policy ideas on youth and family homelessness, see kidsdata.org’s Research & Links section or visit the California Homeless Youth Project, California Coalition for Youth, and National Alliance to End Homelessness. Also see Policy Implications on kidsdata.org under Family Income and Poverty and Housing Affordability and Resources.

Sources for this narrative:

1.  U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. (2022). The 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress, part 1: Point-in-time estimates of homelessness. Retrieved from: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/ahar/2022-ahar-part-1-pit-estimates-of-homelessness-in-the-us.html

2.  Davalos, M., & Kimberlin, S. (2023). Who is experiencing homelessness in California? California Budget and Policy Center. Retrieved from: https://calbudgetcenter.org/resources/who-is-experiencing-homelessness-in-california

3.  Burns, D., et al. (2021). Students experiencing homelessness: The conditions and outcomes of homelessness among California students. Learning Policy Institute. Retrieved from: https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/students-experiencing-homelessness-report

4.  American Academy of Pediatrics, Council on Community Pediatrics. (2022). Providing care for children and adolescents facing homelessness and housing insecurity. Pediatrics, 131(6), 1206-1210. Retrieved from: https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/131/6/1206/31138/Providing-Care-for-Children-and-Adolescents-Facing

5.  Levin, M., et al. (2022). California's homelessness crisis—and possible solutions—explained. CalMatters. Retrieved from: https://calmatters.org/explainers/californias-homelessness-crisis-explained

6.  Pearl, P., et al. (2021). California state action plan to end youth homelessness: 2021 review. California Homeless Youth Project. Retrieved from: https://www.library.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/ActionPlantoEndYouthHomelessness-CHYP_2021.pdf

7.  California Interagency Council on Homelessness. (2022). Action plan for preventing and ending homelessness in California. Retrieved from: https://bcsh.ca.gov/calich/action_plan.html

8.  Morton, M. H., et al. (2020). Interventions for youth homelessness: A systematic review of effectiveness studies. Children and Youth Services Review, 116(4), 105096. Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740920308616

9.  Walker Brown, K., et al. (2021). Strategies to end commercial sexual exploitation of youth: A toolkit for collaborative action. National Center For Youth Law. Retrieved from: https://youthlaw.org/resources/strategies-end-commercial-sexual-exploitation-youth-toolkit-collaborative-action

10.  Barnes, A. J., et al. (2021). Health and adverse childhood experiences among homeless youth. BMC Pediatrics, 21, 164. Retrieved from: https://bmcpediatr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12887-021-02620-4
How Children Are Faring
In California, 229,288 public school students—3.8% of all enrollees—were recorded as experiencing homelessness at some point during the 2020-21 school year. These figures are down from 2016-17, when 298,914 public school students (4.8%) were reported to be homeless. At the county level, rates of student homelessness in 2020-21 ranged fewer than 1 in 75 to more than 1 in 8.

Statewide, around half of homeless public school students in 2020-21 (47%) were enrolled in Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 5, while 22% were in Grades 6-8 and 31% in Grades 9-12. Overall, the most common type of nighttime residence among homeless students was in shared (‘doubled up’) housing with friends or relatives (85%).

During the 2022 homeless point-in-time (PIT) count, 9,590 children and young adults ages 0-24 were found to be homeless and unaccompanied in California, down from 14,161 in 2013. Most of these homeless young people (6,762) were unsheltered, meaning their nighttime residence was a place not ordinarily used as regular sleeping accommodation. The vast majority of unsheltered children and young adults were transitional age youth ages 18-24 (6,448), but a substantial number of unsheltered unaccompanied minors were identified as well (314).