Youth Homelessness: Key Findings From the National Runaway Safeline Report

This week, the National Runaway Safeline (NRS) released Prevention Needs and Opportunities for Young People at Risk of Homelessness. This national report examines why youth seek help, the challenges they face related to housing instability, and the critical supports needed to ensure long-term positive outcomes.

This blog highlights key findings from the report and what they might mean for Charlotte-Mecklenburg.

ABOUT THE REPORT

The Prevention Needs and Opportunities for Young People at Risk of Homelessness report examines five years of anonymized data from the National Runaway Safeline’s (NRS) national hotline and online services. Between 2019 and 2023, the NRS received almost 100,000 contacts from youth, family members, and service providers. Researchers used self-reported living situations and details about their crisis experience to categorize the contacts into three housing risk levels: in crisis, at imminent risk, or already experiencing homelessness. The analysis explores demographics, reasons for contact, and referral patterns across these groups to better understand how youth’s needs may differ based on their housing status. The report provides a foundation that can be used to design more effective, targeted strategies to prevent and end youth homelessness.

KEY FINDINGS

The report identifies several key findings about housing instability and help-seeking behavior among youth:

• Youth seek support early: 63% of youth contacted the hotline while they were still living at home; 17% of youth reported previous experiences of homelessness.
• Most crises are related to family conflict: 83% of youth identified family dynamics as their primary challenge. Emotional abuse (29%) and mental health concerns (23%) were also frequently reported.
• Youth initiated the most contacts: 78% of contacts came directly from youth; 22% were initiated by family members, caregivers, and service providers.
• Referrals provided differed by risk level: Youth at imminent risk were most frequently connected to natural supports (family, friends, trusted adults), while those already homeless were more frequently referred to housing programs, legal services, or social services.
• Early intervention opportunities: The high number of youth who were still living at home at the time of making contact suggests that there is an opportunity to engage and support youth before they lose housing.

RISK PROFILES

The report groups youth into three housing risk profiles based on their self-reported living situations:

• In Crisis: These youth are typically ages 18-21 and currently housed, but conflict or instability are a threat to their housing stability. Typical challenges included transportation barriers, trafficking, and safety concerns.
• At Imminent Risk: These youth were typically younger, ages 15–17. They haven’t lost housing yet, but without intervention, homelessness may be imminent. Commonly reported challenges among these youth were family conflict, emotional abuse, or unsafe living conditions.
• Homeless: These youth have already lost stable housing and report multiple intersecting challenges, including economic hardship, legal or social service system involvement, substance use, and a lack of support.

REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS

The report offers several recommendations to strengthen prevention and response strategies for youth at risk of homelessness:

• Enhance trauma-informed data collection and referral processes to ensure that youth are quickly connected to resources and supports that align with their unique situations and needs.
• Invest in early, family-centered interventions that can prevent the loss of housing. These types of interventions include conflict resolution programs, mediation services, and family counseling.
• Scale community-based prevention efforts to engage youth and families earlier through outreach, education, and supportive services.
• Strengthen cross-sector coordination among schools, health care providers, child welfare agencies, housing providers, and youth-serving organizations to create a more seamless and robust response that supports youth and family stability.
• Remove policy and legal barriers that make it difficult for unaccompanied minors to access services.
• Conduct research and evaluation on existing prevention programs to determine which strategies are the most effective and to inform continuous improvement of programs and policies.