Dear Future President, 

Imagine what it would be like to lose everything, your family, all your money, and your house, kicked out on the streets struggling everyday to survive. This is what our youth homeless face everyday. Today there are some really big problems in the world. For example gun control, drug and substance abuse, education cost, needing more funding for public schools and all of these issues are big problems; however, youth homelessness is a very big problem as well. It affects so many people in our country, which is why we should do more to help those people.We can do more to help.   

The amount of youth homelessness increases drastically every year! The President and CEO of Covenant Housing says in an article for Rights for Foster Children “40% of young people who age out of foster care at 18 become homeless before their mid-twenties.” Some organizations like Covenant Housing and the Pew organization are already working to lower the percentage of youth homelessness but we should do more to strive for 0% of youth homelessness. As of right now the Housing For Homeless Students Act of 2014 helps homeless individuals who are part or full time students to access housing whilst getting an education by letting full time students use their housing project.

The Pew Organization, an organization researches and informs the public about problems in the world, is also working to help youth homelessness.. They are working on making the foster care system better so that the kids who age out of foster care don't become homeless. In their article Commission on Children in Foster Care the Pew Organization say, ” Progress on legislation to help foster care kids get permanent loving homes” One of the problems with foster care is that the government can give you a home and food but they can't give the loving environment a child needs. Kasey Saeturn and Alkeisha Porter an author and a homeless woman talk about how hard it is to get housing for low income people in large cities in her article “How Expensive It Is to Live In A House.” she says “It's normal for millennials to still live at home these days but what if you're a millennial who doesn't have a home to go back to?” For runaways who have no choice but to leave their home they don't have the government foster care system to rely on and so from a young age it can be very hard for them.

These are some issues and programs that help youth homelessness.These people need all of our help, how will you address and fix this issue. A possible solution could be to raise awareness of this serious situation and have people donate to the cause of making more homeless shelters and having better foster care programs such as helping them find a job and helping them move up in a workplace so kids who age out of foster care do not become homeless.

My Concerns

-Jack G. 

Ryan, Kevin M. "A Bill of Rights for Foster Children." Helping Homeless Children & Youth. Hoffington Post, 10 Dec. 2015. Web. 03 Nov. 2016.

Saeturn, Kasey. "In San Francisco, An Affordable Housing Solution That Helps Millennials." KALW. Youth Radio, 21 Mar. 2016. Web. 03 Nov. 2016.

@pewtrusts. "Sen. Grassley Makes Progress on Legislation to Help Foster Care Kids Get Permanent, Loving Homes." Sen. Grassley Makes Progress on Legislation to Help Foster Care Kids Get Permanent, Loving Homes. The Pew Charitable Trusts, 3 Apr. 2014. Web. 03 Nov. 2016.

Nd-Minnesota, Metropolitan Consortium Of Community Developers, Minneapolis / Hennepin County Office To End Homelessness, and Minnesota Coalition For The Homeless. HOUSING FOR HOMELESS STUDENTS ACT OF 2014 (n.d.): n. pag. Web.