[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 460 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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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;

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 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, 
        community-based 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;

    (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

    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) designates November 2021 as ``National Runaway 
        Prevention Month''; and
            (2) recognizes and supports the goals and ideals of 
        National Runaway Prevention Month.
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