III 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 460 

Designating November 2021 as ‘‘National Runaway Prevention Month’’. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 30, 2021 

Ms. DUCKWORTH (for herself, Mr. SULLIVAN, Mrs. MURRAY, Ms. MURKOWSKI, Mr. PADILLA, Mr. DURBIN, and Mr. KING) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Designating November 2021 as ‘‘National Runaway 

Prevention Month’’. 

Whereas results from the Voices of Youth Count national 

survey, which was published by Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago in ‘‘Missed Opportunities: Youth 

Homelessness in America’’, indicate that, between 2015 

and 2017, an estimated 4,200,000 youth and young 

adults between 13 and 24 years of age experienced homelessness during a 12-month period, including— 

(1) an estimated 700,000 youth between 13 and 17 

years of age who experienced unaccompanied homelessness; and 

(2) an estimated 3,500,000 young adults between 18 

and 24 years of age; 


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•SRES 460 IS 

Whereas the rates of youth experiencing homelessness are 

similar in rural and non-rural areas; 

Whereas, often, runaway youth— 

(1) have been expelled from their homes by their 

families; 

(2) have experienced abuse and trauma; 

(3) are involved in the foster care system; 

(4) lack resources to secure their own basic needs; 

and 

(5) are ineligible or unable to access medical or mental health resources; 

Whereas individuals without a high school degree or general 

educational development certificate are nearly four times 

more likely to report homelessness than their peers; 

Whereas youth of color and lesbian, gay, bisexual, 

transgender, queer, or questioning (commonly referred to 

as ‘‘LGBTQ’’) youth experience higher rates of homelessness than their heterosexual and white peers; 

Whereas pregnant youth, parents who are 25 years of age or 

younger, and their children experience higher rates of 

homelessness than youth and young adults without children; 

Whereas American Indian and Alaska Native youth are the 

group most at risk for experiencing homelessness, as 9 

percent of 13- to 17-year olds in such group reported experiencing homelessness during a 12-month period, a rate 

more than double any other group; 

Whereas runaway and homeless youth are at an increased 

risk of exploitation and becoming victims of sex and labor 

trafficking, and between 19 percent and 49 percent of 


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•SRES 460 IS 

young individuals who experience homelessness will become victims of trafficking; 

Whereas youth who run away from home or from foster care 

are at increased risk of encountering the police and the 

court system due to laws that prohibit certain actions 

necessary for the survival of homeless youth; 

Whereas preventing youth from running away from home and 

from foster care and supporting youth in high risk situations should be community priorities; 

Whereas the future of the United States depends on children 

and the value placed on their ability to acquire the knowledge, skills, and opportunities necessary to successfully 

develop into safe, healthy, and productive adults; 

Whereas the COVID–19 pandemic, which was declared a national emergency under the National Emergencies Act 

(50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), has negatively impacted homeless youth; 

Whereas effective programs that support runaway youth and 

assist youth and their families by providing safe and stable homes succeed because of partnerships created among 

families, youth-based advocacy organizations, communitybased human service agencies, law enforcement agencies, 

schools, faith-based organizations, and businesses; and 

Whereas the National Runaway Safeline and the National 

Network for Youth are leading the promotion of National 

Runaway Prevention Month in November 2021— 

(1) to raise awareness of the runaway and homeless 

youth crisis and the issues faced by runaway and homeless youth; 


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•SRES 460 IS 

(2) to educate the public about solutions and the 

role the public can play in ending youth homelessness; 

and 

(3) to bring together a broad range of stakeholders 

to tackle the crisis of youth homelessness: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) designates November 2021 as ‘‘National 

3 Runaway Prevention Month’’; and 

4 (2) recognizes and supports the goals and ideals 

5 of National Runaway Prevention Month. 

Æ 


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