As temperatures dip into the low double-digits across much of the United States and snow blankets the South, new data show that the number of people experiencing homelessness on a single night hit a new record in 2024, with children experiencing the most dramatic increase.

The number of people experiencing homelessness in an emergency shelter, safe haven, transitional housing program, or in unsheltered locations across the country increased 18% over 2023 to an all-time high of 771,480 people – or about 23 of every 10,000 people — according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Nearly 150,000 children experienced homelessness on a single night in 2024, reflecting a 33% increase — or 32,618 more children — over 2023, the largest single-year increase of any group.

As shocking as these figures are, they still gravely underestimate the actual rate of homelessness among children, youth, and families.

“HUD’s point-in-time count does not capture how most families experience homelessness,” said First Focus Campaign for Children Vice President of Family Economics Cara Baldari. “Homeless children and families are often forced to stay in less visible situations, making the numbers — and the risks for those children — significantly higher.”

HUD’s Point-in-Time (PIT) Counts are unduplicated one-night estimates of both sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness. The one-night counts are conducted nationwide and occur during the last week in January of each year. In contrast, education and early childhood agencies, which apply a more realistic definition of homelessness, estimate the number of children experiencing homelessness to be more than 1.4 million and growing.

Between the 2004-05 school year and the 2022-2023 school year public school data show a 110% increase in children and families who meet the federal education definition of homelessness, which includes those in shelters and motels, unsheltered, and staying temporarily with others. With the exception of decreased estimates during the pandemic, resulting from school building closures and the inability to identify homeless students, the overall trend has been steadily upward.

First Focus Campaign for Children calls on the 119th Congress and the newly installed Trump Administration to take the following actions to address the rapidly growing problem of child, youth and family homelessness:

• Pass the Homeless Children and Youth Act (HCYA): The bipartisan Homeless Children and Youth Act (H.R. 5221), reintroduced in the 118^th Congress, would align federal definitions of homelessness for children and youth. The legislation removes barriers, streamlines assistance, leverages resources, and brings greater visibility to the reality of family and youth homelessness.
• Pass the Family Stability and Opportunity Vouchers Act: The bipartisan Family Stability and Opportunity Vouchers Act (S. 1257/H.R. 3776), reintroduced in the 118^th Congress, would create an additional 250,000 housing vouchers over five years specifically for low-income, high-need families with young children. This legislation is especially important to combat the extraordinarily high rates of homelessness among infants and toddlers, and other young children.
• Improve the Child Tax Credit: A quarter of children cannot receive the full Child Tax Credit because their parents make too little to quality, primarily affecting children in rural communities, children of color, and children in larger families. Lawmakers must enhance the Child Tax Credit to better reach these households.
• Create and implement a national Renter Tax Credit: Rents have increased nearly 20% nationwide since 2019, yet 80% of federal housing tax benefits go to homeowners. Creating a national renter tax credit would deliver resources directly to children in families and young adults, who are greater risk of homelessness and less likely to receive housing assistance. A national renter tax credit would deliver resources directly to families and young adults and reach many more than are currently served by rental assistance.

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The Los Angeles wildfires have cost thousands of children their homes. But advocates say the aftermath may also rob them of federal tax credits, health care and housing assistance.

Kids and families who’ve already lost their homes — and possibly a loved one — could also lose federal tax refunds. Every year, the Child Tax Credit leaves behind 17 million children, shutting them out of all or part of the tax credit because their families make too little to qualify. Children who survive the LA wildfires may join these ranks as their family income drops due to job loss, homelessness, or the death or injury of a parent or caregiver in the blazes.

“The Child Tax Credit is not only a pro-child, anti-poverty tool,” said First Focus on Children President Bruce Lesley, “it is also a disaster recovery necessity. First Focus on Children urges Congress to treat it as such by expanding and making it fully refundable going forward. Public policy is immoral if it penalizes children who are victims of natural disasters and slashes their tax credit at the very moment they need it most.”

Kids and families who’ve lost a home may not qualify for federal assistance. An estimated 12,000 homes and other structures burned to the ground in the fires, sending thousands of children and families to stay with friends and relatives, or in motels or other temporary situations. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently announced that U.S. homelessness has reached an all-time high, and that in 2024 children experienced the largest increase in homelessness. But according to HUD’s definition of “homelessness” many of the families displaced by the Los Angeles fires will not qualify for assistance. To be considered homeless by HUD — and therefore eligible for assistance — a child must be living in a shelter or on the street.

“It’s time for policymakers to align the federal definitions of homelessness to account for the realities that families experience,” said Cara Baldari, First Focus on Children vice president of family economics. “Many of the families who lost their homes in these fires will not be on the streets, but that does not mean they are not in dire need of assistance.”

First Focus on Children and other advocates have long supported legislation that would align the federal definitions of homelessness, create additional housing vouchers for high-need families with children, and offer other aid to children and youth in need.

Kids injured in the fires may not receive health care. Studies of past California wildfires have found increased hospital admissions among children for respiratory illnesses. In addition to physical injuries, studies have found that children who experience natural disasters also are more likely to face mental health challenges and trauma, including PTSD, even years after the event. Medicaid, which serves more than half of all U.S. children, is currently structured to respond to increased needs. But recent proposals from policymakers would end Medicaid’s flexibility and make it unable to meet real-time situations.

“Medicaid insures 38 million U.S. children and covers more than 40 percent of all births in this country, giving mothers and babies a healthy start,” said Bruce Lesley, president of First Focus on Children. “We join our fellow advocates in strongly opposing any attempt by lawmakers to restrict, cut or cap Medicaid coverage for any reason, but particularly at the very time that health care needs are rising due to a natural disaster. We should not sacrifice the health of our children to pay for tax cuts for billionaires.”

For more information, please see First Focus on Children’s recent article “When wildfires rage, children should never be left behind.”

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First Focus on Children President Bruce Lesley laid out the kid angle in his recent piece “When wildfires rage, children should never be left behind.” Based on that article, here are three things you need to know about kids and the Los Angeles wildfires:

1. Kids and families who’ve already lost their homes — and possibly a loved one — could also lose federal tax breaks:

Every year, the Child Tax Credit leaves 17 million children behind, according to the Center on Poverty and Social Policy, shutting them out of all or part of the tax credit because their parents make too little to qualify. Traditionally, these children are disproportionately under age 6, Black and Hispanic, in single-parent households, and in rural communities. Children who survive the LA wildfires can reasonably be expected to join these ranks as their family income drops due to job loss, homelessness or, horribly, the death of a parent or caregiver in the blazes.

The solution, of course, is to expand and make the CTC fully refundable going forward, a change that helped lift nearly 3 million children out of poverty in 2021. The CTC is not just a pro-child, anti-poverty tool. It is a disaster-recovery necessity. Congress must treat it this way.

2. Kids and families who’ve lost a home may not qualify for federal assistance:

An estimated 12,000 homes and other structures burned to the ground in the fires, sending thousands of children and families scrambling to find shelter. Already exorbitant rents have skyrocketed with the new demand, sending many families to stay with friends and relatives, or in motels or other temporary situations.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently announced that U.S. homelessness has reached an all-time high, and that in 2024 children experienced the largest increase in homelessness. But here’s the catch: HUD does not consider children staying with friends and relatives, or in motels or other situations like the ones that abound for LA’s kids as “homeless.” To be considered homeless by HUD — and therefore eligible for assistance — a child must be living in a shelter or on the street.

First Focus on Children and other advocates have long sought to remedy this issue through legislation that would align the various federal definitions of homelessness, create additional housing vouchers for high-need families with children, and offer other aid to children and youth in need.  

3. Kids injured in the fires may not receive health care:

Children’s health care needs are likely to increase as a result of the wildfires. But lawmaker’s plans for Medicaid are likely to reduce their access.

Studies of past California wildfires have found increased hospital admissions among children for respiratory illnesses in affected communities. Children who survive the fires may also experience burns or other physical injuries, or mental health crises brought on by trauma. Studies conducted by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network and other organizations in the wake of 2005’s Hurricane Katrina found that child survivors faced significantly higher rates of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), even years later.

Right now, Medicaid is purpose-built to be responsive to these and other issues. Federal funding to states expands to meet increased program needs, whether those result from financial challenges, societal changes or natural disasters. Unfortunately, many lawmakers want to restrict, cut or cap Medicaid coverage in order to pay for tax cuts for wealthy Americans. Any one of these changes would hamstring Medicaid’s ability to respond to the needs spurred by the Los Angeles wildfires and other disasters, natural and otherwise.  

In conclusion: It is clear that climate-fueled disasters like the Los Angles wildfires will only continue to increase in number and intensity. National attention is currently focused on making our physical infrastructure more resistant to these episodes. But in addition to prioritizing funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), policymakers also must update the social safety net that protects children and families from natural and other disasters. The time to do it is now.

The post The Kid Angle: Kids and the LA fires: Three things to know appeared first on First Focus on Children.

National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week begins Monday, Nov. 17, with the number of homeless children and youth at more than 1 million and growing. 

Child and youth homelessness continues to rise in the United States, with nearly 1.4 million students from preschool through 12th grade identified as homeless in the 2022-2023 school year, a 14% increase from the previous school year. These numbers do not capture the full extent of the crisis because under-identification of homeless students remains a problem in schools and many young children experiencing homelessness are not old enough to attend school or are not enrolled in public preschool programs. In addition, millions of young adults ages 18-25 also experience homelessness on their own each year. 

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) also collects data on child and youth homelessness, but unfortunately HUD data only provides a limited picture of the problem due to the narrow definition of homelessness used by the department. Point-in-time counts, a main source of homelessness data for HUD, undercount homeless children and youth since most of them do not experience the visible homelessness that these counts capture. 

Millions more children live in households at-risk of homelessness, partially as a result of rent prices that have increased nearly 20% nationally since 2019. Babies and toddlers are the age group most likely to experience an eviction in our society, including a quarter of Black children under the age of 5. A third of our nation’s children live in a household that struggles to afford housing each month.

How to Address Increasing Rates of Child, Youth, and Family Homelessness

Given that children and youth face the greatest risk of homelessness in our society, they should be prioritized for assistance. Yet the opposite is true. Twenty years ago, households with children accounted for more than 60% of recipients of federal rental assistance. By 2022, these households made up just 38% of recipients. The majority of homeless children and youth are also continually overlooked for homeless assistance administered by HUD. 

We urge Congress to do right by children and youth who are experiencing homelessness or on the brink of homelessness by taking the following actions:

1. Pass the bipartisan Homeless Children and Youth Act (H.R. 5221)

Homeless children, youth, and families must stay where they can due to a lack of alternatives and/or fear of authorities and are often forced to bounce around between temporary situations. Many communities do not have family or youth shelters, and even when they do, shelters are often full. Shelter policies may also prevent families from staying together or may restrict the length of stay. As a result, homeless children and youth often end up staying in motel rooms or temporarily doubling up with others. These situations result in overcrowding and create frequent upheaval, volatility, and a loss of stability for children, creating disruption to their education, health care, and other needs. 

Children and youth experiencing homelessness in these less visible situations are not eligible to receive or even be assessed for homeless assistance administered by HUD, despite extensive evidence that homelessness has grave consequences for children’s outcomes regardless of where they find a place to sleep on a given night. 

HUD’s narrow definition does not align with the definition of homelessness used by other federal agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The bipartisan Homeless Children and Youth Act (H.R. 5221) reintroduced by Reps. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), Bill Posey (R-FL), Delia Ramirez (D-IL), and Don Bacon (D-NE) in the 118^th Congress, would streamline the definition of homelessness and delivery of federal assistance as well as improve federal data collection.

2. Pass the bipartisan Family Stability and Opportunity Vouchers Act (S. 1257/H.R. 3776)

The bipartisan and bicameral Family Stability and Opportunity Vouchers Act (S. 1257/H.R. 3776), reintroduced in the 118th Congress by Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Todd Young (R-IN) and Reps. Joe Neguse (D-CO) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), would help make children a priority for housing assistance by establishing 250,000 new housing vouchers specifically for families with children. These vouchers would be paired with housing counseling services aimed at helping households with children move to higher opportunity neighborhoods. 

3. Prioritize the Needs of Homeless Children and Youth in Tax Reform 

Tax credits such as the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) are critical to breaking the cycle of homelessness, helping households afford rent, utilities, food, diapers, educational materials, and all of the resources needed to nourish kids’ developing brains and bodies. These credits have a two-generation effect in promoting economic mobility and housing stability: in addition to supporting children and youth, this money helps parents and caregivers afford child care, transportation, higher education classes, or job training programs that lead to steady employment and higher-paying jobs.

We urge Congress to use the upcoming tax reform process to make improvements to the CTC and EITC that provide meaningful and reliable support to families and young people as they work toward economic mobility. 

In addition, we ask Congress to establish a national renter tax credit. The federal government distributed $80 billion in housing tax benefits in 2020, 80% of which went to homeowners. The tax code must similarly accommodate renters. Creating a properly designed and implemented national renter tax credit would help meet renters’ needs by delivering resources directly to families and reaching many more families than are currently served by rental assistance.

First Focus Campaign for Children recently sent a joint letter with many of our partner organizations to the House Ways & Means Committee detailing our list of priorities in tax reform for young people experiencing homelessness or at high risk of homelessness. 

Every child deserves a safe and stable place to call home. This Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, we ask Congress to take action to ensure housing stability for all children.

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A new analysis finds that Project 2025, the conservative blueprint for a Republican presidency, would increase child poverty and homelessness in the United States, two trends that already outstrip other wealthy nations.

The analysis, “How Project 2025 would increase child poverty and homelessness in the U.S.”, published by First Focus on Children,finds that Project 2025’s extremist policy proposals would expand poverty-generating work requirements on key assistance programs such as the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program (TANF). Children make up more than 70% of all TANF recipients.

More than 1 million school-age children experience homelessness each year in the United States, and tens of millions more live in households that struggle to afford housing. Rather than offer solutions that increase access to affordable housing for families with children, Project 2025 would further limit access by imposing work requirements, time limits, and other eligibility restrictions. The plan specifically targets children of immigrants by barring mixed-status families from federally subsidized housing. When the former Trump Administration attempted this change, analysts estimated that children would make up more than half of the population that would lose housing, and that most of them would be U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents. 

Read “How Project 2025 would increase child poverty and homelessness in the U.S.” at this link.

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