IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1598 

Designating November 2024 as ‘‘National Homeless Children and Youth 

Awareness Month’’. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 26, 2024 

Ms. BONAMICI (for herself and Mr. FITZPATRICK) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services 

RESOLUTION 

Designating November 2024 as ‘‘National Homeless Children 

and Youth Awareness Month’’. 

Whereas, in the United States, public schools identified nearly 1,400,000 enrolled homeless children and youth during 

the 2022 to 2023 school year, a 14 percent increase from 

the previous school year; 

Whereas every year an estimated 1,200,000 children younger 

than 6 years of age, and approximately 4,200,000 youth 

and young adults, experience homelessness, with many of 

those children, youth, and young adults staying on 

couches, in motels, in shelters, or outside; 

Whereas infants experiencing homelessness are at a higher 

risk for certain illnesses and health conditions; 


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2 

•HRES 1598 IH 

Whereas families experiencing homelessness are more likely 

to experience involvement in the child welfare system and 

difficulty with school attendance; 

Whereas more than 52 percent of students that experienced 

homelessness during the 2021 to 2022 school year were 

chronically absent, a rate 22 percent higher than other 

students; 

Whereas, in 2021, high school students experiencing homelessness were nearly twice as likely to have seriously considered suicide or made a suicide plan and more than 3 

times as likely to have made a suicide attempt within the 

past year; 

Whereas individuals without a high school degree or general 

educational development certificate are over 4.5 times 

more likely to report homelessness than their peers who 

completed high school, making lack of education the leading risk factor for homelessness; 

Whereas, in 2022, the high school graduation rate for students experiencing homelessness was 68 percent, compared to 80 percent for low-income students and 85.5 

percent for all students; 

Whereas the rate of youth homelessness is the same in rural, 

suburban, and urban areas; 

Whereas 29 percent of unaccompanied homeless youth between 13 and 25 years of age have spent time in foster 

care, compared to approximately 6 percent of all children; 

Whereas homelessness among children and youth is a complex issue that often occurs with deep poverty, low education and employment levels, substance misuse and use 

disorders, mental health disorders, lack of affordable 

housing, and family conflict; and 


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•HRES 1598 IH 

Whereas awareness of child and youth homelessness must be 

heightened to encourage greater support for effective programs to help children and youth overcome homelessness: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) supports the efforts of businesses, govern3 ments, organizations, educators, and volunteers dedi4 cated to meeting the needs of homeless children and 

5 youth; 

6 (2) applauds the initiatives of businesses, gov7 ernments, organizations, educators, and volunteers 

8 that— 

9 (A) use time and resources to raise aware10 ness of child and youth homelessness, the 

11 causes of child and youth homelessness, and po12 tential solutions; and 

13 (B) work to prevent homelessness among 

14 children and youth; 

15 (3) supports the designation of a ‘‘National 

16 Homeless Children and Youth Awareness Month’’; 

17 and 

18 (4) encourages businesses, governments, organi19 zations, educators, and volunteers to continue to in20 tensify their efforts to address homelessness among 

21 children and youth. 

Æ 


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