    [House Hearing, 116 Congress]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

                         STRENGTHENING FEDERAL SUPPORT
                           TO END YOUTH HOMELESSNESS

    =======================================================================

                                    HEARING

                                   BEFORE THE

                SUBCOMMITTEE ON CIVIL RIGHTS AND HUMAN SERVICES

                             COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
                                   AND LABOR
                         U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                         ONE HUNDRED SIXTEENTH CONGRESS

                                 FIRST SESSION

                                   __________

                 HEARING HELD IN WASHINGTON, DC, JULY 16, 2019

                                   __________

                               Serial No. 116-34

                                   __________

          Printed for the use of the Committee on Education and Labor

    [GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

               Available via the World Wide Web: www.govinfo.gov
                                       or
                  Committee address: https://edlabor.house.gov

                                   __________

                        U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
    37-320 PDF                  WASHINGTON : 2021

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                        COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND LABOR

                 ROBERT C. ``BOBBY'' SCOTT, Virginia, Chairman

    Susan A. Davis, California           Virginia Foxx, North Carolina,
    Raul M. Grijalva, Arizona            Ranking Member
    Joe Courtney, Connecticut            David P. Roe, Tennessee
    Marcia L. Fudge, Ohio                Glenn Thompson, Pennsylvania
    Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan,      Tim Walberg, Michigan
      Northern Mariana Islands           Brett Guthrie, Kentucky
    Frederica S. Wilson, Florida         Bradley Byrne, Alabama
    Suzanne Bonamici, Oregon             Glenn Grothman, Wisconsin
    Mark Takano, California              Elise M. Stefanik, New York
    Alma S. Adams, North Carolina        Rick W. Allen, Georgia
    Mark DeSaulnier, California          Lloyd Smucker, Pennsylvania
    Donald Norcross, New Jersey          Jim Banks, Indiana
    Pramila Jayapal, Washington          Mark Walker, North Carolina
    Joseph D. Morelle, New York          James Comer, Kentucky
    Susan Wild, Pennsylvania             Ben Cline, Virginia
    Josh Harder, California              Russ Fulcher, Idaho
    Lucy McBath, Georgia                 Van Taylor, Texas
    Kim Schrier, Washington              Steve Watkins, Kansas
    Lauren Underwood, Illinois           Ron Wright, Texas
    Jahana Hayes, Connecticut            Daniel Meuser, Pennsylvania
    Donna E. Shalala, Florida            William R. Timmons, IV, South
    Andy Levin, Michigan*                    Carolina
    Ilhan Omar, Minnesota                Dusty Johnson, South Dakota
    David J. Trone, Maryland             Fred Keller, Pennsylvania
    Haley M. Stevens, Michigan
    Susie Lee, Nevada
    Lori Trahan, Massachusetts
    Joaquin Castro, Texas
    * Vice-Chair

                       Veronique Pluviose, Staff Director
                     Brandon Renz, Minority Staff Director
                                     ------

                SUBCOMMITTEE ON CIVIL RIGHTS AND HUMAN SERVICES

                      SUZANNE BONAMICI, OREGON, Chairwoman

    Raul M. Grijalva, Arizona            James Comer, Kentucky,
    Marcia L. Fudge, Ohio                  Ranking Member
    Kim Schrier, Washington              Glenn ``GT'' Thompson,
    Jahana Hayes, Connecticut                Pennsylvania
    David Trone, Maryland                Elise M. Stefanik, New York
    Susie Lee, Nevada                    Dusty Johnson, South Dakota

                               C O N T E N T S

                                  ----------
                                                                       Page

    Hearing held on July 16, 2019....................................     1

    Statement of Members:
        Bonamici, Hon. Suzanne, Chairwoman, Subcommittee on Civil
          Rights and Human Services..................................     1
            Prepared statement of....................................     3
        Comer, Hon. James, Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Civil
          Rights and Human Services..................................     4
            Prepared statement of....................................     5

    Statement of Witnesses:
        Morton, Mr. Matthew, Ph.D., M.SC., Research Fellow, Chaplin
          Hall at the University of Chicago, Chicago, IL.............     7
            Prepared statement of....................................     9
        Giovengo, Ms. Melinda, Ph.D., CEO, President of Youthcare,
          Seattle, WA................................................    19
            Prepared statement of....................................    21
        Lowery, Mr. Robert, Jr., M.S., Vice President, National
          Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Alexandria, VA..    28
            Prepared statement of....................................    30
        Baker, Mr. David, Support Specialist, YMCA Youth and Family
          Services, San Diego, CA....................................    43
            Prepared statement of....................................    45

    Additional Submissions:
            Hayes, Hon. Jahana, a Representative in Congress from the
              State of North Connecticut:............................
            Missed Opportunities: Youth Homelessness In America......    66
            Homelessness In America: Focus On Youth..................    82
            Ending Youth Homelessness................................    96
            Link: Child Well Being...................................   117
        Questions submitted for the record by:
            Schrier, Hon. Kim, a Representative in Congress from the
              State of Washington....................................   121
            Scott, Hon. Robert C. ``Bobby'', a Representative in
              Congress from the State of Virginia

        Responses to questions submitted for the record by:
            Mr. Baker................................................   124
            Mr. Morton...............................................   126

            STRENGTHENING FEDERAL SUPPORT TO END YOUTH HOMELESSNESS

                                  ----------

                             Tuesday, July 16, 2019

                           House of Representatives,

                Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Human Services,

                       Committee on Education and Labor,

                                Washington, D.C.

                                  ----------

        The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 2:19 p.m., in
    Room 2175, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Suzanne Bonamici
    [chairwoman of the subcommittee] presiding.
        Present: Representatives Bonamici, Schrier, Hayes, Comer,
    Thompson, Stefanik, Johnson, and Foxx.
        Also Present: Representatives Scott, and Yarmuth.
        Staff Present: Tylease Alli, Chief Clerk; David Dailey,
    Senior Counsel; Paula Daneri, Education Policy Fellow; Emma
    Eatman, Press Assistant; Christian Haines, General Counsel;
    Stephanie Lalle, Deputy Communications Director; Andre Lindsay,
    Staff Assistant; Jaria Martin, Clerk/Assistant to the Staff
    Director; Richard Miller, Director of Labor Policy; Max Moore,
    Office Aide; Jacque Mosely, Director of Education Policy;
    Banyon Vassar, Deputy Director of Information Technology;
    Courtney Butcher, Minority Director of Coalitions and Member
    Services; Bridget Handy, Minority Communications Assistant;
    Dean Johnson, Minority Staff Assistant; Amy Raaf Jones,
    Minority Director of Education and Human Resources Policy;
    Hannah Matesic, Minority Director of Operations; Jake
    Middlebrooks, Minority Professional Staff Member; Carlton
    Norwood, Minority Press Secretary; Chance Russell, Minority
    Legislative Assistant; and Mandy Schaumburg, Minority Chief
    Counsel and Deputy Director of Education Policy.
        Chairwoman Bonamici. The Subcommittee on Civil Rights and
    Human Services will come to order.
        Welcome everyone. Our apologies for the delay. We did have
    votes on the floor.
        I note that a quorum is present, and I note for the
    Subcommittee that Mr. Yarmuth of Kentucky is permitted to
    participate in today's hearing with the understanding that his
    questions will come only after all members of the Subcommittee
    on Civil Rights and Human Services on both sides of the aisle
    who are present have had an opportunity to question the
    witnesses.
        The Committee is meeting today in a legislative hearing to
    hear testimony on strengthening Federal support to end youth
    homelessness. Pursuant to Committee Rule 7(c), opening
    statements are limited to the Chair and the Ranking Member.
    This allows us to hear from our witnesses sooner and provides
    all members with adequate time to ask questions.
        I recognize myself now for the purpose of making an opening
    statement.
        We are here today to discuss our responsibility to provide
    every child and youth with a safe and stable environment to
    learn and grow. Today, millions of youth across the country do
    not have access to a stable home. For many of them, the effects
    of homelessness are not isolated to days or weeks or months.
    Youth homelessness has long-term consequences that undermine
    their education, their safety, and their future.
        As our witnesses will establish, youth who do not have
    access to the support and resources that come with stable
    housing are far more likely to drop out of school, fall prey to
    exploitation and human trafficking, and remain homeless as
    adults.
        In 1974, Congress recognized its responsibility to support
    youth who lack a safe and stable home by passing the Runaway
    and Homeless Youth Act. Over the last four decades Congress has
    repeatedly recommitted on a largely bipartisan basis to fund
    the law's programs to make sure that runaway and homeless youth
    receive the services they need to transition out of
    homelessness and thrive as self-sufficient individuals.
    Unfortunately, it has been more than a decade since Congress
    updated the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act. Since then, new
    research shows that youth homelessness is a public health
    crisis that demands a significant and thorough response.
        Researchers have found that over a 12-month period more
    than 1 in 30 youth between the ages of 13 and 17 and one in 10
    youth between 18 and 25 will experience homelessness. One of
    the counties I represent in northwest Oregon, Washington
    County, has reported cases of youth homelessness in the
    thousands.
        We also know that factors associated with the significantly
    higher risk of youth homelessness reflect the systemic
    challenges facing underserved communities including family
    conflict, child abuse, and experience with the juvenile justice
    and foster care systems. It is no surprise then that some youth
    experience homelessness at disproportionately higher rates.
    LGBTQ youth, for example, are at a 120 percent greater risk of
    entering homelessness compared to heterosexual or cisgender
    peers. Racial discrimination also contributes to
    disproportionate homelessness among Black and Latino youth.
    Black youth have an 83 percent higher risk of experiencing
    homelessness than their White peers, and Latino youth have a 33
    percent higher risk.
        Homelessness can also put youth at high risk for
    devastating experiences that can have long-lasting consequences
    on their development. Homeless youth are vulnerable to
    exploitation and coercion. The data show that one in five
    homeless youth are victims of human trafficking. I am going to
    say that sentence again. The data show that one in five
    homeless youth are victims of human trafficking. One in six are
    sexually assaulted or raped.
        Homeless youth who experience these unspeakable acts need
    comprehensive supports to process their trauma and rebuild
    their lives. Our deeper understanding of the causes and factors
    surrounding youth homelessness demand an updated approach to
    addressing this public health issue.
        As this Committee considers a bipartisan reauthorization of
    the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, we must make sure that
    Federal programs engage and unite family members; approve an
    approach to transitioning youth into a safe and stable housing
    when it is in the best interest of the child; adopt trauma-
    informed practices that support youth whose experiences have
    had long-lasting effects on their mental health and well-being;
    and, finally, importantly, that they do not discriminate
    against youth based on age, race, religion, gender identity, or
    sexual orientation.
        Including these provisions in Federal programs will help
    prevent children from having to experience the uncertainty and
    the trauma of homelessness. Today's hearing takes an important
    step toward achieving our shared goal of making sure that all
    children have access to safe and stable housing that empowers
    them to reach their full potential.
        And I now recognize the distinguished Ranking Member for
    the purpose of making an opening statement.
        [The statement of Chairwoman Bonamici follows:]

     Prepared Statement of Hon. Suzanne Bonamici, Chairwoman, Subcommittee
                       on Civil Rights and Human Services

        We are here today to discuss our responsibility to provide every
    child and youth with a safe and stable environment to learn and grow.
        Today, millions of youth across the country do not have access to a
    stable home. For many of them, the effects of homelessness are not
    isolated to days or weeks or months. Youth homelessness has long-term
    consequences that undermine their education, their safety, and their
    future.
        As our witnesses will establish, youth who do not have access to
    the support and resources that come with stable housing are far more
    likely to drop out of school, fall prey to exploitation and human
    trafficking, and remain homeless as adults.
        In 1974, Congress recognized its responsibility to support youth
    who lack a safe and stable home by passing the Runaway and Homeless
    Youth Act. Over the last four decades, Congress has repeatedly
    recommitted--on a largely bipartisan basis--to fund the law's programs
    to make sure that runaway and homeless youth receive the services they
    need to transition out of homelessness and thrive as self-sufficient
    individuals.
        Unfortunately, it has been more than a decade since Congress
    updated the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act. Since then, new research
    shows that youth homelessness is a public health crisis that demands a
    significant and thorough response.
        Researchers have found that, over a 12-month period, more than one
    in 30 youth between the ages of 13 and 17 and one in ten youth between
    18 and 25 will experience homelessness. One of the counties I represent
    in NW Oregon, Washington County, has reported cases of youth
    homelessness in the thousands.
        We also know that factors associated with significantly higher risk
    of youth homelessness reflect the systemic challenges facing
    underserved communities, including family conflict, child abuse, and
    experience with the juvenile justice and foster care systems.
        It is no surprise, then, that some youth experience homelessness at
    disproportionally higher rates. LGBTQ youth, for example, are at a 120
    percent greater risk of entering homelessness compared to heterosexual
    or cisgender peers. Racial discrimination also contributes to
    disproportionate homelessness among Black and Latino youth. Black youth
    have an 83 percent higher risk of experiencing homelessness than their
    white peers, and Latino youth have a 33 percent higher risk.
        Homelessness can also put youth at high risk for devastating
    experiences that can have long-lasting consequences on their
    development. Homeless youth are vulnerable to exploitation and
    coercion. The data show that one in five homeless youth are victims of
    human trafficking. One in six are sexually assaulted or raped. Homeless
    youth who experience these unspeakable acts need comprehensive supports
    to process their trauma and re-build their lives.
        Our deeper understanding of the causes and factors surrounding
    youth homelessness demand an updated approach to addressing this public
    health issue. As this Committee considers a bipartisan reauthorization
    of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, we must make sure that federal
    programs:
        (1) Engage and unite family members--a proven approach to
    transitioning youth into safe and stable housing--when it is in the
    best interest of the child;
        (2) Adopt trauma-informed practices that support youth whose
    experiences have had long-lasting effects on their mental health and
    well-being; and
        (3) Importantly, that they do not discriminate against youth based
    on age, race, religion, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
        Including these provisions in federal programs will help to prevent
    children from having to experience the uncertainty and trauma of
    homelessness. Today's hearing takes an important step toward achieving
    our shared goal of making sure that all children have access to safe
    and stable housing that empowers them to reach their full potential.
                                     ______

        Mr. Comer. Thank you, Madame Chairwoman, for yielding.
        There are few aspects of a child's development as
    influential as the home they grow up in. For homeless and
    runaway youth, there are devastating dangers and risks that can
    compromise their safety and health. Sadly, reports indicate
    that in the United States, around 700,000 youth are without
    homes. Congress reauthorized the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act
    in 2018 which helps continue efforts to prevent childhood
    homelessness and rescue youth runaways.
        The Runaway and Homeless Youth Act's three main programs
    offer crisis intervention, such as temporary shelter,
    counseling, and family unification for runaway and homeless
    youth. Additionally, the programs support community-based
    organizations that provide homeless youth with stable and safe
    longer-term housing. The RHYA also funds outreach and education
    programs for runaway and homeless youth who have been subjected
    to serious trauma, like sexual abuse and human trafficking.
    This work is lifesaving for young Americans facing
    homelessness.
        The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, which
    we will hear from today, also helps save and protect missing
    youth including runaway youth. The center's work is just one
    example of the multifaceted effort to protect youth. By
    engaging with corporations, law enforcement, nonprofit
    organizations and families, the National Center for Missing &
    Exploited Children also helps bring kids back home.
    Increasingly, children cared for by the state are running away,
    ending up homeless.
        While we will hear today that there is a better
    coordination to help locate these kids and get them back home,
    there is more work that can be done. There isn't a simple
    solution for youth homelessness. Children leave home for a lot
    of reasons. Some run from abuse, but others are lured by
    predators looking to harm children. That is why we need to help
    the folks on the ground, the people we will hear from today, to
    do their jobs.
        Our children are this country's most valuable asset. They
    are also the most vulnerable in our society. As lawmakers, we
    must help protect American youth from homelessness and the
    dangers it presents. Today's hearing will give us an
    opportunity to learn more about the programs serving our
    runaway and homeless youth. I look forward to the testimony
    from all of our witnesses.
        And I yield back.
        [The statement of Mr. Comer follows:]

    Prepared Statement of Hon. James Comer, Ranking Member, Subcommittee on
                        Civil Rights and Human Services

        Thank you for yielding.
        There are few aspects of a child's development as influential as
    the home they grow up in. For homeless and runaway youth there are
    devastating dangers and risks that can compromise their safety and
    health. Sadly, reports indicate that in the United States around
    700,000 youth are without homes. Congress reauthorized the Runaway and
    Homeless Youth Act (RHYA) in 2018, which helps continue efforts to
    prevent childhood homelessness and rescue youth runaways.
        RHYA's three main programs offer crisis intervention such as
    temporary shelter, counseling, and family unification for runaway and
    homeless youth. Additionally, the programs support community -based
    organizations that provide homeless youth with stable and safe longer-
    term housing. RHYA also funds outreach and education programs for
    runaway and homeless youth who have been subjected to serious trauma,
    like sexual abuse and human trafficking. This work is lifesaving for
    young Americans facing homelessness.
        The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC),
    which we will hear from today, also helps save and protect missing
    youth, including runaway youth. The center's work is just one example
    of the multifaceted effort to protect children. By engaging with
    corporations, law enforcement, non-profit organizations , and families,
    NCMEC also helps bring kids back home. I increasingly, children cared
    for by the state are runnier nog away, ending up homeless. Although
    we'll hear today that there has been improved coordination among
    agencies to help locate these kids and get them back home, there is
    still more work that can be done.
        There isn't a simple solution for youth homelessness. Children
    leave home for a lot of reasons some run from abuse but others are
    lured by 1predators looking to harm children. That is why we need to
    help the folks on the ground - the people we will hear from today to do
    their jobs.
        Our children are this country's most valuable asset. They are also
    the most vulnerable in our society. As lawmakers, we must help protect
    American youth from homelessness and the dangers it presents. Today's
    hearing will give us an opportunity to learn more about the programs
    serving our runaway and homeless youth. I look forward to the testimony
    from all our witnesses.
        Thank you, I yield back.
                                     ______

        Chairwoman Bonamici. Thank you very much for your
    statement, Ranking Member.
        Without objection, all other members who wish to insert
    written statements into the record may do so by submitting them
    to the Committee Clerk electronically in Microsoft Word format
    by 5 p.m. on July 29.
        I will now introduce our witnesses. We are fortunate to
    have a distinguished panel.
        Dr. Matthew Morton is a research fellow at Chapin Hall at
    the University of Chicago with expertise in youth homelessness,
    youth development, and evidence-based practice. He is the
    principal investigator of Voices of Youth Count, the most
    comprehensive national research initiative to date focused on
    youth homelessness in America. Dr. Morton held previous
    positions at the World Bank, the U.S. Government, in
    philanthropy, and with youth-serving nonprofits. While working
    in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, he was a
    key contributor in the development of the U.S. Government's
    National Strategy and Framework to End Youth Homelessness.
        Dr. Melinda Giovengo -- was I close? Giovengo?
        Ms. Giovengo. Close.
        Chairwoman Bonamici. Giovengo -- I am Italian. I should
    know that, right? -- is Executive Director of YouthCare in
    Seattle, Washington. She has 30 years of experience in
    developing and implementing reengagement programs for out-of-
    school and homeless youth. Melinda holds an M.A. in clinical
    psychology and a Ph.D. in educational psychology and is
    published on issues regarding youth homelessness and the impact
    of learning disabilities in hard-to-serve populations. She is
    the board chair of the National Network for Youth and a board
    member of the National Youth Employment Coalition.
        Mr. Robert G. Lowery, Jr., is the Vice President of the
    Missing Children Division at the National Center for Missing &
    Exploited Children, where he supervises the organization's
    response to reports of missing children. Previously, Mr. Lowery
    spent more than 30 years in public services as a law
    enforcement officer, as the Assistant Chief of Police for the
    Florissant, Missouri, police department and as commander of the
    Greater St. Louis Major Case Squad, the oldest and largest
    multi-jurisdictional homicide task force in the United States.
        Mr. Lowery has authored several publications, including an
    investigation and program management guide for law enforcement
    agencies responding to cases of missing and abducted children,
    as well as detailed guides promoting strategies for finding
    long-term missing children and appropriate response protocols
    for children with special needs who go missing.
        Finally, Mr. David Baker is a resident of San Diego,
    California, where he is a support specialist for the YMCA Youth
    & Family Services Program. As a formerly homeless youth, Mr.
    Baker advocates for public policy across the Nation and
    represents the boundless potential of underserved youth. He
    uses his life experience to guide the creation and
    implementation of realistic solutions to social issues like
    youth homelessness. His mission is to promote agency, access,
    and hope for the most vulnerable populations in society.
        Welcome again to our witnesses. We appreciate all of you
    for being here today, and we look forward to your testimony.
    Let me remind the witnesses that we have read your written
    statements. They will appear in full in the hearing record.
    Pursuant to Committee Rule 7(d) and Committee practice, each of
    you is asked to limit your oral presentation to a 5-minute
    summary of your written statement. Let me remind the witnesses
    that, pursuant to title 18 of the U.S. Code, section 1001, it
    is illegal to knowingly and willfully falsify any statement,
    representation, writing, document, or material fact presented
    to Congress or otherwise conceal or cover up a material fact.
        Before you begin your testimony, please remember to press
    the button on the microphone in front of you, so it will turn
    it on, and the Members can hear you. And as you begin to speak,
    the light in front of you will turn green. After 4 minutes, the
    light will turn yellow to signal that you have 1 minute
    remaining. When the light turns red, your 5 minutes have
    expired, and we ask you to please wrap up.
        And we will let the entire panel make their presentations
    before we move to member questions. When asking -- excuse me --
    when answering a question, please remember to once again turn
    on your microphone, and I first recognize Dr. Morton.

      STATEMENT OF MATTHEW MORTON, PH.D., M.SC., RESEARCH FELLOW,
         CHAPIN HALL AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, CHICAGO, IL

        Mr. Morton. Thank you, Chairwoman Bonamici, Ranking Member
    Comer, and Members of the Committee for the opportunity to join
    this important hearing.
        My name is Dr. Matthew Morton. And I am a researcher with
    Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago. I lead Voices of
    Youth Count, the most comprehensive research initiative to date
    focused on youth homelessness in America. This research was
    designed in response to the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act
    through which Congress called for replicable, national
    prevalence and incidence estimates of youth homelessness and
    data concerning the population's needs and characteristics.
        I also have a family background of lived experience. I lost
    my parents at a young age and grew up with a great deal of
    turbulence at home. I had brief runaway experiences, but I was
    lucky. Teachers, coaches, and others saw potential in me. And
    they helped me to realize that potential in spite of my
    adversities. Others, like my little sister, are not so lucky.
    Their adversities escalate to enduring crisis and homelessness,
    and many of them remain invisible.
        Good data can help make the invisible visible. Evidence can
    help us know where and how to make things better for all our
    Nation's youth. As long as millions of youth do not live up to
    their potential as individuals, we don't live up to our
    potential as a Nation.
        Chapin Hall's first nationally representative survey of
    youth homelessness surfaced alarming conclusions. We found that
    1 in 30 adolescents ages 13 to 17 endure some form of
    homelessness within a 12-month period. With young adults ages
    18 to 25, the prevalence climbs even higher. One in 10 young
    adults reported some form of homelessness within a year.
    Moreover, the prevalence rates were statistically equal between
    rural and nonrural communities. As a share of the population,
    youth homelessness is just as much of a problem in rural
    America as it is elsewhere.
        Our research also shows that not all youth share the same
    likelihood of facing homelessness. Youth of color have
    significantly higher homelessness prevalence as compared to
    their White, non-Hispanic peers. Rates are especially high
    among American Indian, Alaska Native youth, and among African
    American youth. Our data also show that young people
    identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer,
    LGBTQ, face 120 percent increased risk of homelessness.
        In addition to demographic disproportionalities, certain
    experiences indicate increased risk for homelessness. The
    single factor that we found most strongly correlated with
    higher risk for homelessness among young adults was the lack of
    a high school diploma. These young people had more than four
    and a half times the risk of homelessness as young adults who
    attained at least a high school level of education. Further,
    youth experiencing homelessness had disproportionately been in
    foster care and had spent time in juvenile detention, jail, or
    prison.
        Our research also sheds lights on connections between youth
    and family homelessness. For one thing, a large share of youth
    experiencing homelessness are parents themselves, struggling
    with housing instability while caring for young children.
    Moreover, nearly all young people link the beginning of their
    homelessness to earlier disruptions of family and home,
    including family homelessness and entry into foster care.
        For youth, homelessness is about more than the loss of
    housing. It is about the lack or loss of relationships and
    connections that others can rely on more consistently for
    support, safety, and stability. In fact, a startling 35 percent
    of youth reported the death of at least one parent or primary
    caregiver. Housing instability is but one factor that
    characterizes their journeys, which are typically shaped by
    significant trauma. We can do better. We can take steps to
    better respond to youth homelessness and to prevent it. The
    Federal Government plays a critical role in supporting data to
    inform policy in a broad range of areas.
        Likewise, we encourage Congress to consider its role in
    enabling the replication of national data on youth homelessness
    so that we can track our progress toward the goal of ending
    youth homelessness and tailor strategies accordingly.
        We cannot end youth homelessness in the dark. Adolescence
    and young adulthood are key developmental periods in our lives.
    Every day of housing instability represents missed
    opportunities to support young people's healthy development so
    that they can contribute to flourishing communities. We all
    lose out in these missed opportunities.
        Thank you.
        [The statement of Mr. Morton follows:]
        [GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

        Chairwoman Bonamici. Thank you for your testimony.
        Dr. Giovengo, you have 5 minutes for your testimony. Thank
    you so much.

    STATEMENT OF MELINDA GIOVENGO, PH.D., CEO, YOUTHCARE, SEATTLE,
                                   WA

        Ms. Giovengo. Thank you.
        Good afternoon, Subcommittee Chair Bonamici and Ranking
    Member Comer and Members of the Subcommittee.
        My name is Dr. Melinda Giovengo. And for over 12 years, I
    have had the privilege of serving as the CEO of YouthCare, one
    of the largest providers of youth and young adults experiencing
    homelessness services in Washington State. I also serve as the
    Board Chair for the National Network for Youth. I am honored to
    share testimony today about YouthCare's work and our support
    for the reauthorization of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act.
        Founded in 1974, YouthCare was one of the first RHYA
    shelters to serve runaway and homeless youth on the West Coast.
    We currently serve about 1,500 young people each year and
    operate a budget of around $17 million. I want to tell you a
    little bit about YouthCare's services and why the
    reauthorization of the RHY Act is so critical to our mission.
        First is our focus on minors experiencing homelessness.
    Across the country, States are grappling with a major system
    gap: How to support teens who may not meet the threshold of
    child welfare and dependency but also cannot return home
    safely. YouthCare's RHY shelters and transitional living
    program fill that gap in our community. Our first priority is
    always family reconciliation. Yet reconciliation takes time.
    For this reason, we support extending the length of stay at the
    Basic Center from 21 to 30 days or longer if it is permitted by
    licensing in the State.
        But for a quarter of the youth in our shelters, returning
    home will not be an option because of issues like abuse, family
    homelessness, or rejection. This is why YouthCare opened a
    transitional living program for minors in 1999. We strongly
    advocate for expanding these programs so that youth are not re-
    traumatized by having to move from shelter to shelter in order
    to stay safe.
        Second, our focus on trafficked youth. Young people living
    on the streets are extremely -- at extreme risk for
    exploitation and trafficking. YouthCare requires all of our
    staff and all of our employees to attend a 2-day training on
    the unique needs of sexually exploited youth and has
    specialized case managers that support young people with
    histories of trafficking and sexual exploitation.
        This is also where outreach comes into effect, where we go
    out on the streets and find these young people before others
    do.
        Third, our focus on LGBTQ youth. LGBTQ youth face a higher
    risk of homelessness. In 1998, YouthCare opened a
    groundbreaking program for LGBTQ-identified young adults, which
    was and remains the only transitional living program for LGBTQ
    young adults in Washington State, focused on affirming young
    people's gender identity and their sexual orientation.
        Last, our focus on at-risk or overrepresented populations.
    The YouthCare staff are trained in harm-reduction, trauma-
    informed care to provide services for populations most at risk
    of homelessness, including young people of color, young people
    exiting systems of care, pregnant and parenting youth, and
    refugee and immigrant young people.
        Neuroscience has shown that young people's brains do not
    reach maturation until the age of 25. They are cognitively and
    emotionally still in formation. Many youth also lack basic
    employment and life skills. For this reason, strategies,
    interventions, and outcomes for young people experiencing
    homelessness must be different than for adults. RHY is the only
    Federal funding source tailored to the unique educational,
    socio-emotional, and housing needs of young people experiencing
    homelessness. Specifically, RHY's flexible three-pillar model
    of outreach, shelter, and transitional housing, maternal group
    homes, allows us to progressively move young people across
    housing continuums without barriers, such as narrow definitions
    of homelessness and permanent housing used by HUD, which is
    why, I will just add, it is so important that you also pass the
    Homeless Children and Youth Act. Instead, RHY's definition of
    homelessness and performance outcomes of safe and stable
    housing, permanent connections, education, and employment, and
    socio-emotional and well-being enable us to design services and
    capture progress through a lens that is age-appropriate and
    reflective of generational needs, which brings me to the
    reauthorization of RHY.
        4.2 million young people in our country are experiencing
    homelessness. That number is staggering and unacceptable.
    Without targeting intervention, it also represents a pipeline
    to chronic adult homelessness, yet lifesaving services are
    woefully underfunded. RHY's recent funding was $127 million, a
    mere $30 per young person experiencing homelessness. We can end
    youth homelessness, but this investment is far from what we
    need to do so.
        RHY needs a comprehensive reauthorization, which occurred
    more than a decade ago, and this must include the
    nondiscrimination and gender-affirming language and support for
    human trafficking and prevention. YouthCare also supports
    changing all RHY grant cycles from 3 to 5 years to ensure
    program stability.
        Every young person has potential. Unleashing that potential
    will start with passing of the reauthorization of the Runaway
    and Homeless Youth Act. I have done this work for more than 35
    years. It can be hard, gritty, and yet inspiring every day.
    What keeps me going without a doubt is that we change lives and
    we save lives.
        Thank you for letting me share my thoughts, and I look
    forward to answering your questions.
        [The statement of Ms. Giovengo follows:]
        [GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

        Chairwoman Bonamici. Thank you for your testimony.
        Mr. Lowery, I recognize you for 5 minutes for your
    testimony.

    STATEMENT OF ROBERT LOWERY, JR., M.S, VICE PRESIDENT, NATIONAL
       CENTER FOR MISSING AND EXPLOITED CHILDREN, ALEXANDRIA, VA

        Ms. Lowery. Good afternoon, Chairwoman Bonamici and Ranking
    Member Comer and Members of the Subcommittee.
        My name is Bob Lowery. I am the vice president of the
    Missing Children Division for the National Center for Missing &
    Exploited Children, or NCMEC. It is an honor to be here today
    with you to provide NCMEC's perspective on the growing problem
    of runaway children and discuss our role in helping to quickly
    resolve cases of runaway children and how we bring them home
    safely.
        As a background, NCMEC was created in 1984 by child
    advocates as a private nonprofit organization to help find
    missing children and to reduce child sexual exploitation and to
    prevent child victimization. Since NCMEC opened its doors, it
    has been apparent that the most common reason children go
    missing today is because they run away. NCMEC knows that the
    runaway crisis is a very real problem, and it creates extremely
    dangerous situations for our children.
        Over the past 4 years, 91 to 92 percent of all missing
    child reports made today received by NCMEC are runaways. The
    average age of a runaway reported in NCMEC is 15 years of age,
    and more than half of these runaways reported to NCMEC over the
    past several years have run three to four times, many of the
    children dozens of times.
        NCMEC uses modern tools and technology, as well as
    personalized case manager attention, to help find each runaway
    child reported to us. When we receive a call about a runaway
    child, we work directly on an individual basis to provide a
    coordinated response tailored to the particular child. We are
    child-centric when the reports are made. This approach will
    include specialized analytical expertise, technical assistance,
    ongoing support to the parent, guardian who are in crisis, the
    law enforcement agency responsible for the search and
    investigation of what happened to that child, the social
    service agencies working to find the child as well.
        NCMEC operates a 24-hour-a-day hotline that receives calls
    each and every day of the year relating to runaway children.
    Our call center is bilingual, and we have access to third-party
    interpretation services in nearly 200 languages. We also
    operate streamlined electronic reporting for social service
    agencies to enable them to quickly report critical information
    to NCMEC when a child in foster care runs away.
        As part of NCMEC's unique intake process for runaways, we
    gather specific information and conduct a risk assessment for
    that individual child. This helps us evaluate if the child has
    things like social media accounts, which are very prevalent
    today, or if they have been communicating with anyone online
    who wish to do them harm or suffers from other endangerment,
    such as alcohol or drug use; victimization by child sex
    trafficking; gang recruitment or enticement; pregnancy or other
    medical conditions that raise their risk; and, of course, self-
    harm and suicidal tendencies. Over the past 4 years, 72 percent
    of the reported runaways suffered from one or more of these
    serious endangerments.
        While NCMEC treats all reports of runaway on an individual
    basis, we have seen significant increases in the numbers of
    children who are running from foster care or another form of
    State care managed by a social service agency.
        The increase came as a result of Congress' enactment of the
    Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act of
    2014. The new law required for the first time that children
    missing from State care be reported immediately to law
    enforcement and to NCMEC. We were strong supporters of that law
    because it enables NCMEC to provide consistent services to
    previously underserved populations of runaway children. Since
    the passage of the law, NCMEC reports of children running from
    State care have nearly tripled. NCMEC has worked tirelessly
    with State and local social service agencies, as well as Health
    and Human Services, and our partner nonprofits to create
    streamlined reporting systems and educational programs to share
    NCMEC's unique expertise and knowledge regarding runaways so we
    can best protect them.
        As detailed in my written testimony, NCMEC knows our
    mission is amplified when we work with public and private
    partners to help identify and locate runaway children and bring
    them home safely. NCMEC partners with dozens of technology and
    social media, retail, and print media companies who help us
    distribute current images of the child where we geolocate to
    specific targeted areas where the child may be, which increases
    our chance of someone in the public recognizing that missing
    child and reporting it.
        We analyze data on online data so we help determine where a
    child may be while, as I say, most of our children now have
    social media presence. We glean lots of information about where
    they may have gone or who they may be in contact with. We alert
    the entire community to ensure that the runaway receives the
    same public attention and concern as any other type of missing
    child.
        As NCMEC enters into our fourth decade of working with
    finding missing children, we know there is a lot more that can
    be done to help locate and recover runaways and find stable
    placements to ensure that they do not fall into the cycle of
    repeated runs that have longstanding detrimental impacts on
    their health and safety.
        NCMEC is fortunate to be joined in this mission by the
    Subcommittee and our public and private partners, and we look
    forward to continuing in our work with all of you.
        Thank you for this opportunity to appear before the
    Subcommittee to discuss this very important topic.
        [The statement of Mr. Lowery follows:]
        [GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

        Chairwoman Bonamici. Thank you for your testimony.
        Mr. Baker, I recognize you for 5 minutes for your
    testimony.

      STATEMENT OF DAVID BAKER, SUPPORT SPECIALIST, YMCA YOUTH &
                     FAMILY SERVICES, SAN DIEGO, CA

        Mr. Baker. Thank you. Good afternoon, Subcommittee Chair
    Bonamici, Ranking Member Comer, and Members of the
    Subcommittee. Thank you for inviting me here today to testify
    before you.
        My name is David Baker. I am a proud Youth Advocacy Council
    member with the National Network for Youth and a support
    specialist with the YMCA Youth and Family Services Department
    in San Diego, California.
        I came here from San Diego to demonstrate the potential of
    opportunity youth when given the tools and resources and to
    express the value and absolute necessity of Federal programs
    like the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act. I come from a
    background of intergenerational homelessness, which means my
    mother was born into homelessness and her mother was also born
    into homelessness. So access to stable housing was something
    that my family has never known.
        The trauma that my mother incurred from her childhood led
    her to cope with alcohol and drug use. Unfortunately, it seemed
    there was no place for my mother to address her trauma. The
    shelter would kick us out for bed rotation at 7 a.m., and it
    seemed the liquor stores were open by 9. So I would go into
    school knowing that, by the time I got out, my support system
    would be broken.
        Due to a lack of resources in our area, housing, financial,
    and food insecurity, plagued my family until at about 16 years
    old I understood that there just weren't enough to meet my
    basic needs. And I ran away. Instead of being a burden to my
    struggling mother -- and this is an extremely common occurrence
    amongst youth where their living conditions are so bad that
    they see the streets as a place of opportunity, but what I
    found in the street was the opposite of opportunity. I found
    the threat of imprisonment, the threat of trafficking, and the
    threat of death.
        Years went by with no diversion opportunities or support
    offered to me, and I found myself couch surfing as a freshman
    in college. After hurdling the barriers to receive financial
    aid as a homeless student, I bought an old car. And that became
    my home. The backseat was my bedroom. The front seat was my
    kitchen. And the San Diego County Sheriff was my alarm clock,
    waking me up every morning to remind me that my safe place was
    temporary.
        I completed multiple homeless vulnerability assessments but
    came to accept that there just weren't enough housing
    opportunities for nonfoster homeless youth. Also, I didn't want
    to enter traditional homeless HUD shelters or programs because
    of the trauma of my childhood. I knew what to expect there. And
    like many homeless youth, I found my car as a safer
    alternative.
        This living situation continued until I received a call
    just a few days before my 22nd birthday from a TLP through the
    YMCA. You know, it is amazing to think that if I had just been
    a few days older, I would have been led to continue sleeping in
    a place that isn't suitable for human habitation. This
    opportunity completely changed the trajectory of my life. In
    this TLP, I found myself surrounded by trauma-informed
    professionals who genuinely wanted the best for me. For the
    first time ever, I had a support system that wasn't broken or
    toxic or damaging to my life in any way, and I was empowered to
    use my experience as a homeless youth to help my peers, which
    led to a position within the Y, and today, I facilitate
    workshops across San Diego County that teach youth in our Basic
    Center, Transitional Living Programs to effectively address
    their trauma. These workshops include skills like emotional
    regulation, distress tolerance, and thoughtful decisionmaking,
    all extremely essential for navigating a life of trauma and
    keeping those kids in their homes.
        I have also created entrepreneurial workshops for our youth
    that feature a comprehensive look at financial literacy and
    work readiness. This information was transformative for me, and
    I am grateful to be sharing these tools, and it is amazing to
    see the resiliency and growth of youth in our programs, but I
    know we are just scratching the surface. There are so many of
    us who need these programs but just don't have the access
    because of the Federal investment being so small compared to
    what is needed.
        Please know that every dollar that you invest tells a young
    person like me that their dreams and their goals matter, and
    they are valuable, and they should have the opportunity to
    flourish. When you invest in us, our entire society benefits.
    And you can see me as a living example of that.
        Through programs funded by the Runaway and Homeless Youth
    Act, I was given a foundation to build a life of prosperity. I
    was given a chance to change my family history forever. Today,
    I ask you to please make that a possibility for every youth
    because they deserve it. Before, I was a youth in the street
    with no resolution in sight. But, today, I am so much more than
    that. I am a taxpayer. I am an exceptional entrepreneur. And
    last, but certainly not least, I am an advocate.
        Thank you all again for allowing me to speak.
        [The statement of Mr. Baker follows:]
        [GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

        Chairwoman Bonamici. Thank you so much, all of you, for
    your very powerful testimony.
        We under Committee Rule 8(a) we will now question the
    witnesses under the 5-minute rule and, as Chair, I will start
    and be followed by the Ranking Member, and then we will
    alternate between the parties.
        And I am going to start with Dr. Giovengo. Homeless youth
    are at an increased risk for trafficking and sexual
    exploitation. A study by researchers at the University of
    Pennsylvania and Loyola University found that one in five
    homeless youth were victims of human trafficking and girls as
    young as 10 years old had been forced into sex trade. Many
    children have no way out because their traffickers use physical
    force and intimidation to keep them from seeking help.
        So how does your organization use staff training -- you
    mentioned in your written testimony -- and leverage the
    partnerships with local organizations to help identify and
    serve victims of trafficking? And how can Congress support
    these efforts to protect children and youth from trafficking
    and exploitation?
        Ms. Giovengo. Thank you.
        I want to say that YouthCare was actually started to really
    address the issue of sexual exploitation in Seattle, and so we
    have always been very aware of the issue in our community.
        Currently, we run a program called the Bridge Continuum,
    which is exactly what you described as a multidisciplinary,
    multi-agency intervention strategy to help young people who
    have been trafficked. Through street outreach, through
    specially trained advocates, and through partnerships with
    trauma informed-care therapists, substance-abuse specialists,
    workforce development specialists, we have been able to create
    a wraparound service model for these young people. It is not
    just a stand-alone model. It is a model that has lived inside
    of our runaway and homeless youth programs for 40 years, and we
    have actually expanded that in our community and around the
    state of Washington in replicating that model in other
    communities.
        So, I think that it is important for folks to understand
    that the Runaway and Homeless Youth Program's Basic Centers,
    Outreach, and Transitional Living Programs are our first line
    of prevention for these young people who are being trafficked,
    and they can be -- and like at YouthCare, all of our staff,
    everyone, including my accounting staff, are trained in the
    recognition and the services needed for helping these young
    people exit the streets and getting into a safe and stable
    environment.
        Chairwoman Bonamici. Terrific. Thank you so much.
        Dr. Morton, currently the two Federal agencies collecting
    data on the problems of child or youth homelessness are the
    Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department
    of Education but counts of homeless youth vary widely across
    these two agencies. For example, HUD's Point-in-Time count
    identified 168,267 homeless youth in 2017. Yet your study
    identified 4.2 million homeless youth.
        So how do each of these agencies collect data on youth
    homelessness and what definition does each agency use to decide
    whom to include in their counts and why is it so important that
    the counts of homeless youth include those who are doubled up?
    What can Congress do to make sure we are getting the highest
    quality data on the prevalence of runaway and homeless youth?
        Mr. Morton. Thank you, Chairwoman.
        These different counts and estimates serve different
    purposes. HUD's counts aren't meant to capture primarily
    shelter and street-based homelessness on a specific night.
    Education captures reported homelessness over the course of the
    year. Both are different forms of capturing homelessness as
    they are presented to a system, largely, whereas a nationally
    representative survey, like the one we did, does not depend on
    the young people that emerge to a system or that are formally
    reported or identified visibly in the streets.
        This is important because much of youth homelessness is
    hidden. We find that young people experience many different
    forms of homelessness and housing instability over a period of
    time. They can come in and out of homelessness, and this is
    different than what we see with older adult chronic
    homelessness, for example. To be able to capture that
    hiddenness, it is important to capture the full spectrum of
    young people's experiences and not just at one point in time,
    but over a period of time. And this is why we have taken this
    particular approach to complement the data that we get about
    young people coming into systems and services through education
    and HUD.
        Chairwoman Bonamici. Thank you for your work.
        I am going to yield back the balance of my time. I
    recognize Ranking Member Comer for his questions and --
        Mr. Castro. Stefanik.
        Chairwoman Bonamici. I recognize Representative Stefanik
    from New York for 5 minutes for her questions.
        And Representative Hayes is going to take over for me.
        I yield back.
        Representative Stefanik.
        Ms. Stefanik. Thank you, Madam Chair.
        I represent one of the most rural districts on the East
    Coast. I represent 194 towns and villages. It takes about 5
    hours from one side to the other of my district. Homelessness
    in rural communities is different, and the resources are
    different than homelessness in urban and suburban communities.
    So my questions are going to focus on how we can address this
    challenge in rural communities and what specific solutions we
    have for rural America.
        So, first, Dr. Morton, the Voices of Youth Count indicates
    that homelessness is almost as common in rural areas as it is
    in urban areas, at least for youth and young adults. Can you
    tell us if these percentages hold true for other age groups,
    and what are some of the unique aspects of helping to provide
    services for the homeless and prevention services in rural
    communities?
        Mr. Morton. Thank you, Congresswoman.
        It is a very good question and a very important issue to
    highlight. We do find with our data that youth homelessness is
    just as prevalent as a share of the population in rural
    communities as it is in nonrural communities. Now there are
    more youth experiencing homelessness in urban communities
    because there are more people living in urban communities. But
    as a share of the population, it is just as much of a challenge
    in rural communities.
        At the same time, it doesn't necessarily look the same in
    rural communities as you alluded to. Young people are about
    twice as likely to be couch surfing, staying with others in
    rural communities, or even more likely to be literally homeless
    on the streets or in places not meant for human habitation in
    rural communities. They are about half as likely to be staying
    in shelters, often because the shelters don't exist. In rural
    communities, they are inaccessible, or they are not youth-
    specific.
        So this underscores the need for much more creative and
    resource outreach efforts and working across public systems and
    services and community-based organizations that could be coming
    into contact with young people.
        Ms. Stefanik. Do you or does anyone on the panel have
    examples of particularly effective outreach efforts in rural
    communities? Because the access is an issue. Transportation is
    an issue. You know, hunger in rural areas is an issue, too. And
    that is very much tied to the challenge of homelessness.
        Does anyone have best practices you would like to
    highlight?
        Ms. Giovengo. Well, this is Dr. Giovengo speaking.
        And I think that one of the things we have seen in
    Washington State and some of our rural communities are really
    the gathering of local resource providers to kind of create
    what I would call a virtual one-stop for young people and
    reaching into the schools early and often to make sure that we
    are identifying those young people who are experiencing
    homelessness.
        Obviously, faith-based organizations have stepped up in
    many communities. In one community in Washington State, Whidbey
    Island, we have a very extensive model of host homes where the
    community has gone out and found community providers to help,
    community people to actually help house young people in
    emergency situations.
        So I think that there are unique challenges, but most of it
    is getting the information consistently out in places where we
    know young people are and even in rural areas, schools probably
    are the best way we can reach them early and we need to start
    before the crisis hits so that they -- before they drop out,
    they know how to get homelessness resources when the crisis
    hits.
        Ms. Stefanik. And, Mr. Lowery, I wanted to ask specifically
    about different protocols or actions taken to help find someone
    who goes missing in a rural community rather than if they go
    missing in an urban or suburban community.
        Ms. Lowery. Well, yes, there are differences in our
    approach to that, but, of course, all missing children are
    pretty much treated the same. What we look for is we do a risk
    assessment anytime a child goes missing and pretty much can
    give us an idea of where that child may have gone and
    oftentimes, especially with our runaway children, there is a
    specific place that they might go or specific individuals they
    may be with. Oftentimes, though we find that some of our
    children are despondent or may be suffering from some mental
    illnesses and things, which does make that challenge much more
    challenging for us when it goes to that search.
        So, at the National Center for Missing & Exploited
    Children, we have protocols for searching rural areas, which is
    a different protocol than you would say searching suburban or
    densely populated urban areas. So we will send those
    representatives on site to work with the sheriff's office or
    the local agencies to aid them in the rescue of that child. We
    will have them there usually within just a few hours. But for
    us, you know, a missing child is a missing child. And they go
    missing for a variety of reasons.
        The only difference that we do see in rural areas is that
    we -- I think every area struggles with resources for these
    children, especially after they have been found, and rural
    areas, I think, certainly suffer from that phenomena.
        Ms. Stefanik. Thank you.
        Yield back.
        Mrs. Hayes. [Presiding.] Thank you.
        I now recognize the Committee Chairman, Mr. Scott, from
    Virginia.
        Mr. Scott. Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair.
        And I want to thank all of our witnesses for being with us
    today.
        Mr. Baker, you indicated that we need to make investments
    in young people to make sure they are not homeless. Exactly
    what do you mean? What should we be investing in?
        Mr. Baker. I believe just ensuring that these funds are
    available for these innovative programs so that the TLPs, the
    Basic Centers, and especially those outreach teams, to ensure
    that they have everything that they need to get the job done.
        Youth homelessness and youth struggle as a whole comes in
    many different unique forms, and every single individual's need
    is as unique as their character is, so ensuring that the money,
    you know, the blood of it is all is available so that these
    folks can access these services and overcome their barriers,
    whatever they may be.
        Mr. Scott. Well, if you find the homeless and provide
    emergency services, you still need to do something to deal with
    the underlying problem.
        What should we be doing, Dr. Giovengo? Do you want to
    answer what we should be doing to deal with the underlying
    problem?
        Ms. Giovengo. Thank you for the question.
        I would say that youth homelessness is way more than just a
    house and a roof over a young person's head, and we must
    address the issue from a 360 perspective. Young people, we will
    not end youth homelessness unless we are partnering with the
    education and employment systems to get these young people back
    on kind of traditional pathways so they can become self-
    sufficient. It is very different than an adult who has had life
    experiences with housing and jobs.
        You know, giving a young person just a place to live is not
    enough. We have to be able to provide them with the education,
    employment, mental health, healthcare, and really support to
    become a full individual and understand what their needs are
    and how they can build their own talents and scope moving
    forward.
        Mr. Scott. You mentioned education. Is on-campus
    educational experience one of the solutions?
        Ms. Giovengo. I think for some young people it is. I mean,
    we run drop-in schools. We also have -- we run a YouthBuild
    program is that an employment and training program for homeless
    young people. We run prevention services inside of on-campus
    educational facilities to help young people stay in school and
    help their families from going homeless so they don't lose
    schools.
        So I think being at all points where a young person can
    begin to drop away from mainstream systems is critical in order
    to prevent them from ending up in a chronic state of
    homelessness.
        Mr. Scott. Now, on-campus educational experience would
    probably be after high school. What could we do before high
    school graduation?
        Ms. Giovengo. Well, I think being in those post-secondary -
    - being in high schools is critical. Running programs like
    National Safe Place in communities, which gives young people
    resources when they first think about running away and to
    access.
        On campus, I do think that we need to address the post-
    secondary access to housing. One of the things we see -- and I
    have dropped many a young person off at college -- and the
    first question they ask me when I start to leave is, where do I
    go at Thanksgiving? And you will find young people end up in a
    crisis situation at those natural juncture points where they
    don't have any place to live and the campus is shut down.
        So we have to think about how we are going to support young
    people who do not have traditional families and/or friends to
    be able to go home to during those break periods and give them
    the pocket money and things that we would give our own children
    to be able to fit in and be normalized in that situation.
        Mr. Scott. When they shut down the campus over
    Thanksgiving, that sounds like something we can do, work with
    the college to make sure that shouldn't be a problem.
        Ms. Giovengo. Absolutely.
        Mr. Scott. Are there peculiar challenges when you talk
    about parenting, either the child or the homeless older child
    who has a child herself? Is that a unique challenge?
        Ms. Giovengo. Absolutely.
        I mean, to be honest with you, we need more maternal care
    group homes for young people, especially for minors who have
    children. Right now, there are very, very few places for a 17-
    year-old to go with an infant child.
        And, just recently, we had a young person that was living
    in her car on Monday and, on Tuesday, stayed with a friend and,
    on Thursday, was back in her car and had a housing assessment
    through the HUD definition and wasn't eligible because she had
    stayed with her mom one night and the night before she had been
    safe.
        So we have to think about how we are preventing young
    people from accessing the services, especially these young
    families and especially these young women, and I would say that
    putting those young parents into adult systems is not helpful,
    because you are talking about a child parenting a child, and we
    actually have to help the young person who is the parent learn
    the skills to be self-sufficient on their own, as well as help
    coach them through parenting a very young infant.
        Mr. Scott. Thank you, Madam Chair.
        Mrs. Hayes. Thank you.
        I now recognize the Ranking Member of the Committee, Ms.
    Foxx, from North Carolina.
        Ms. Foxx. Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
        Mr. Lowery -- and thanks to all the witnesses for being
    here. Mr. Lowery, this hearing is about the Federal Runaway and
    Homeless Youth programs. However, in addition to learning about
    the work done under these programs, we thought it was important
    to highlight the work done to help a child when they are
    missing because they ran away.
        Can you discuss why it is important to focus on what we do
    to help bring the child home as much as on providing services
    if they are experiencing homelessness or preventing them from
    leaving home in the first place?
        Ms. Lowery. Thank you, Ms. Foxx.
        And, yeah, I think you are absolutely correct and we agree
    that all children, either homeless or runaway, are in crisis,
    and we know that it is very important that we intervene as
    quickly as we can when that child is reported missing.
        We do work with homeless shelters all over the U.S. when a
    child goes missing from those shelters, but, in general, we
    also work with all runaway children, and every one of those
    children are in crisis, and we have to get them back as quickly
    as we can. But hence this is where it becomes the issue is
    that, while finding the children is something that we do each
    and every day, but that is only half the battle. It is keeping
    them in those safe places so they are encouraged not to leave
    there and they stay in a safe environment, and this is the
    challenge that we face each day. And we depend on our partners,
    our other NGOs and nonprofits out there that provide services
    for these families and these children so that they are
    encouraged not to run away and find themselves in harm. As I
    testified earlier, many of our children don't run just once.
    They run multiple times, and each and every time, we can tell
    that with increasing severity of the risks that these children
    face.
        So we know that we need early interventions, and sometimes
    we find that those sources are not always available as we need
    them.
        Ms. Foxx. Mr. Lowery, I want to follow up. You mentioned
    the need to evolve in your work to continue helping to find
    missing children. Can you explain this in more detail and share
    some examples of what this has looked like over time? And,
    finally, what harm can occur if you are not constantly
    evaluating and improving your methods?
        Ms. Lowery. Yes, thank you, Ms. Foxx. That is an excellent
    question.
        You know, in our 35 years of existence, you know, we find
    that essentially we are constantly evaluating the work that we
    are doing. We are evaluating trends because a lot has changed
    in those 35 years since we first opened our doors. You know,
    the behaviors of children have changed. The behavior of
    offenders has changed. We are seeing social media now as
    ingrained in our culture as one good example is nearly all of
    our children have some social media presence. And while we find
    social media to be a wonderful tool and a wonderful part of our
    daily lives and it has helped us when it comes to finding,
    locating, and recovering children, it also has those that use
    that platform for nefarious purposes by luring our children,
    engaging them in conversations that are inappropriate, and
    eventually convincing those children to go along with them.
        We have entered into an age now that we have to be very,
    very on guard. We have to learn from those experiences, and we
    know as a center that constant evaluation on how we can get
    better. So we work with our technology partners that we have at
    the national center. We have availabilities of some of the best
    in the world that help us with those very issues on how we can
    identify those kids.
        So, to your point, ma'am, is that, yes, the world has
    changed. And we have to stay at our best when it comes to
    protecting our children.
        Ms. Foxx. And one more question, Mr. Lowery.
        Your testimony talked about work being done to prevent a
    child from running away again. What are some of the things the
    center does to help families keep those children home? Are
    there workshops the center puts together for local
    organizations and families to help know what to watch for, be
    concerned about what may lead to a child running away again?
        Ms. Lowery. Yes, ma'am.
        Matter of fact, I am very glad you asked that question
    because this is something that we pride ourselves in it,
    because we know that finding these children is as important as
    the prevention work that we must do to keep them safe. Because
    if we can keep a child and discourage them from running, we
    know that child is going to live a long, prosperous life.
        We have discussion guides that have been developed at the
    National Center that we share with parents and guardians on
    recognizing early warning signs of when a child may be
    susceptible to wanting to run away or escape an environment
    that may be detrimental to them and what they might do, how it
    would intervene with that child. With third parties, they could
    engage to help them before that child goes.
        As importantly is we have guides that also guides parents
    that if the worst should happen, that child goes missing, what
    they need to do, and what they really need to do is they need
    to report immediately because time is the enemy when children
    are missing. And we need to act as quickly as we can and
    mobilize to get those children back. Every missing child is
    important to us, but keeping them safe is the challenge that we
    face each day. There are no waiting periods when it comes to
    missing children. We remind parents of that each and every day:
    report immediately.
        The other thing I want to point out is we have a lot of
    online safety guides that protect children when they are using
    these electronic platforms, and it is age-appropriate material
    that can be found at the web site at the National Center that
    can be shared with children, and we share that information also
    in schools, with educators, so that children are taught that,
    while we have some wonderful things available to us today,
    there are some inherent dangers that our children just need to
    be aware of and how to avoid them.
        Ms. Foxx. Thank you, Madam Chair.
        I yield back.
        Mrs. Hayes. Thank you.
        I now recognize Ms. Schrier from Washington.
        Ms. Schrier. Thank you, Madam Chair.
        Thank you to all of our witnesses. I was so impressed by
    all of your testimonials, and I have a couple of questions.
        First, Dr. Morton, thank you for laying out all the
    different ways that these kids and young adults are counted
    because there are vast differences.
        And, Dr. Giovengo, I wanted to let you know that I was in
    Auburn at a temporary living shelter for homeless youth. I
    believe it is up to age 18. On the same day that King County
    released their remarkable homeless count, which showed a
    dramatic decrease from the year prior, all the people sitting
    around the table said that is complete baloney. We all know
    that because we know where these kids are on the streets. We
    drove the neighborhoods the night before. And the night of the
    count, they weren't there. They theorized that perhaps they
    were handed bus tickets out of town, that perhaps they were
    caught up in the criminal justice system.
        And I wondered if either one of you could maybe speak to
    the intersection between homeless youth and the criminal
    justice system. And then I will get to another question.
        Mr. Morton. Sure. Thank you very much, Congresswoman.
        So we do know that there is a significant overlap between
    juvenile criminal justice involvement and the experience of
    youth homelessness. In fact, 46 percent of young people
    experiencing homelessness on a specific night that we surveyed
    across 22 counties had been in juvenile detention, prison, or
    jail, and that is not even counting other forms of contact with
    the criminal justice system.
        It doesn't mean that all young people exit these systems
    directly into homelessness, but it does mean that, like youth
    in child welfare, like youth in behavioral health systems, this
    is a population that is at significant risk and in need of
    additional screening to look for risk factors or situations of
    housing instability and to align appropriate supports and
    services and to collaborate with these young people themselves
    so that they can teach us what types of solutions make the most
    sense for them.
        Ms. Giovengo. I would agree with Dr. Morton. In King County
    in particular, YouthCare does exceptional work inside of
    juvenile detention to prevent young people from exiting on the
    streets. As far as the count goes, the one night count in
    January at 2 in the morning, you are probably not going to see
    a lot of young people anyway. But on the positive side,
    Washington State has done some remarkable investment, through
    their Office of Homeless Youth, in terms of addressing the
    issue of minors experiencing homelessness, which is where we
    saw the biggest drop. And that included expanding beds, i.e.,
    more Basic Center beds, more Basic Center opportunities, more
    outreach opportunities, to find those young people and get them
    reattached, and to actually, you know, begin early with family
    intervention, family supports, family reconciliation, which is
    the primary really target of all of the RHY services. As soon
    as we see a young person, it is about getting them back to
    family, a family that is safe and stable. And so we try to do
    that immediately. But targeted resources help, and I think we
    have seen some of that in Washington State.
        Ms. Schrier. Thank you. I had a question about resources.
    Because that same temporary shelter said that for a year -- and
    this is just my memory here -- it was in the tens of thousands
    of dollars for each young person they had there.
        And I am looking at what Federal funding is, and I am
    hearing the number $30 per homeless youth per year. And I am
    embarrassed that I am even sitting here having this discussion,
    because it is nothing, what the Federal Government is
    providing.
        I am wondering what your other funding sources are and what
    more we can do or whether there are other Federal programs that
    overlap that help these kids.
        Ms. Giovengo. Sure. I think that is really important,
    because the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act is kind of the
    anchor point in communities, and that is why every community
    should have a Runaway and Homeless Youth Program. When we have
    an RHY program, we can then leverage that $3 and $4 to $1
    through our State dollars, sometimes, not so much anymore, but
    occasionally through HUD, through our Workforce Investment Act
    dollars, through our local homelessness dollars, through
    private philanthropy, and really create comprehensive services.
        At YouthCare, each bed for an under 18 young person costs -
    - bed, not per child, but each bed that we keep open on each
    night is about $55,000 a year, because of licensing and license
    requirement, which are critical, and in order to provide a high
    quality of care, making sure that young person is getting to
    school, getting to workforce development, doing family
    reconciliation, having access to mental health and substance
    disorder treatment. All of that, you know, comes into a basic
    center in order to meet the developmental needs of young
    people, and it is really critical.
        The Federal investment needs to be much higher. I am not
    going to, you know, let everyone off the hook there, but it is
    only part of the solution, but it does provide the anchor in a
    community and the philosophy of how we should be addressing
    these needs in communities.
        Ms. Schrier. Thank you. Thank you to all of you. And then I
    have run out of time, but I will submit questions for you, Mr.
    Baker, in terms of what services were most helpful to you and
    what would you like to see more investments in. Thank you to
    all of you.
        Mrs. Hayes. Thank you.
        I now recognize the gentleman from Pennsylvania, Mr.
    Thompson.
        Mr. Thompson. Thank you, Madam Chairwoman, Ranking Member.
        Thank you for this hearing on an incredibly important
    topic. It is rather sad what happens to kids, to our children.
    You know, we see that manifest itself in so many ways, whatever
    the issues are. A lot today obviously with escalation with
    substance abuse, opioid abuse, but a breakdown of the family.
    Sometimes, you know, just, you know, the impact of poverty that
    occurs for whatever reason.
        And so I really appreciated hearing all of your testimony.
    I apologize I had to step out. I am actually hosting a hearing
    on Tuesday's Children, and they are having it kicked off. But I
    was here for your testimony, and I appreciate the experience
    and the compassion that each of you bring to this hearing.
        Mr. Lowery, I want to thank you for being here, taking time
    out of your busy schedule. As you know, the Runaway and
    Homeless Youth Act aims to end childhood homelessness and
    rescue youth runaways. During the 2017-2018 school year in my
    home State, Pennsylvania public schools totaled 4,101
    unaccompanied homeless youth. That is not acceptable. Our
    children are this country's most valuable asset, and,
    unfortunately, they are also the most vulnerable in our
    society.
        So, Mr. Lowery, given your work with the National Center
    for Missing & Exploited Children, how does the Center interact
    with homeless shelters and organizations that work to provide
    safety services to homeless and runaway youth, and are there
    improvements to those interactions you would like to make?
        Mr. Lowery. Thank you, Mr. Thompson. And thank you for that
    question. Exactly what we do at the National Center for Missing
    & Exploited Children, we do interact with those homeless
    shelters, whether it is family youth shelters, whether they are
    group homes or they are just drop-in facilities.
        We take reports now, because of our work with the Children
    Missing from Care initiative, which under the Preventing Sex
    Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act requires that they
    be reported. So we are interacting with agencies in all 50
    States now and all regions of the United States when it comes
    to missing children.
        And, of course, when you are talking about homeless
    children, it exacerbates the problem when they run away from
    that environment because, oftentimes, as you say, they are the
    most vulnerable children that we have in our society today.
    There are those that are waiting for them, luring them from
    that environment, luring them into things such as horrendously
    into child sex trafficking. Gangs target these children for
    recruitment or affiliations so that they can carry out some of
    the things for the gangs.
        So we are seeing all sorts of victimization with these
    children as well. Sexual exploitation. But sexual and violent
    victimization is also something else that we don't find to be
    uncommon with all of our runaway children.
        But I think you bring up another point is what we would
    like to see in a perfect world would be when we find these
    children, we can return them to a safe place. Oftentimes, we
    are going to find that those children are going to simply walk
    away and continue their cycle of running away. And it is a very
    frustrating issue for us.
        As I said, finding the children is only half of the work
    that we have to do. It is how do we keep them there. And
    oftentimes we are lacking services and those important
    interdictions to show these children that there is a better
    life for them out there than what they are seeking or what they
    are being encouraged to do by those who are taking advantage of
    their situation. And I think this is where, if we had anything,
    I would believe that would be what we would really wish for.
        Mr. Thompson. So what type of services? You mentioned in
    general you would like to see the services that would be
    instrumental in facilitating that. What type of services in
    particular, you know, would it be good to be able to expand or
    to improve upon?
        Mr. Lowery. Well, you know -- and that is an excellent
    question. I think what we would like to see is more services
    directly to that child and their family so that we can keep
    them together and strengthen that position so that the child
    isn't in a position where they find circumstances undesirable,
    or maybe there are circumstances within the home that need to
    be improved.
        I think Mr. Baker made some very excellent points about his
    own situation that really exemplifies the points that I am
    making. Because oftentimes our children are running because
    they are seeking a better life for themselves. They have a lack
    of self-worth sometimes, and they are running from a situation.
        So the more that we can get interventions for those
    children and help them improve their lives, the better I think
    we will serve that population of kids. But, as I said,
    sometimes, you know, we do find that some places have adequate
    services, and many others do not.
        Mr. Thompson. Thank you, Madam Chair.
        Mrs. Hayes. Thank you.
        I now recognize Mr. Johnson from South Dakota.
        Mr. Johnson. Thank you, Madam Chair.
        Mr. Lowery, we will keep on with you. I thought you did a
    good job in your testimony talking about the role of technology
    and how it can be used by predators to make children more
    susceptible to running away.
        So are there data or statistics that can help us get a
    better sense of how acute or pervasive this problem is?
        Mr. Lowery. Well, yes, we can provide you some more
    additional information. I don't have that with me here today.
    But I can tell you that our experience at the National Center
    is most children today have some sort of online presence. You
    know, the social media and the availability of smartphone
    technology and computers for children now has made our world,
    frankly, a better place, but it is also an area where predators
    are seeking our children for victimization.
        We are seeing cases now where they are making contact with
    our children in online chat rooms or on social media apps. And
    these conversations might take place but over periods of days,
    weeks, months until they have gained the confidence of that
    child.
        Mr. Johnson. Almost a grooming process.
        Mr. Lowery. Absolutely, it is a grooming process. And this
    is something that we are extremely concerned with because then
    our children are being coerced into doing something they would
    not normally do, and that is go with those offenders. Too
    often, when these reports are made, because it doesn't present
    itself to law enforcement, the officer taking the report sees
    that child as a runaway. And we think it is something more than
    that, so we dig deeper into that.
        Mr. Johnson. So is there something that NCMEC is using? Is
    there something families can be doing to help, you know, push
    back against this negative influence of technology?
        Mr. Lowery. Absolutely. In fact, we specifically target our
    families with information about how social media and how the
    interaction with our children, both good and bad. There is
    safety material on there as well. But at the same time is that
    we remind parents that they are the first line of defense when
    it comes to their children. You know, oftentimes we find that
    children are reluctant to share information with their parents
    because of the inappropriateness of the conversations of which
    they have been engaged. So we remind parents: Do not be
    judgmental when it comes to your child. There is one villain in
    this story, and it is not the youth.
        Mr. Johnson. And at least for me, as the father of, you
    know, three young sons, if I only bring up these topics once a
    year as sort of the big scary conversation, then people have a
    tendency to clam up. The more regularly that I can integrate
    some of these conversations about how do you make good
    decisions, how do you take care of yourself, how do you make
    sure your friends are making good decisions, then it seems more
    like just a part of a good conversation between a parent and a
    child. Does that sound about right?
        Mr. Lowery. You know, and I think you bring up a point too.
    It is not necessarily bad parenting. It is just the fact that
    we are living in a social media world that has a culture this
    way. And that, while we are parenting in a world that is
    dominated by social media, we are, frankly, policing in an area
    that is dominated by social media. So it is gaining that
    understanding.
        Frankly, you know, someone my age didn't have the
    understanding until, of course, I have been in this job that,
    say, my grandson would have. They are far more keen to how this
    technology evolves and how they can utilize this technology to
    communicate with their friends, communicate with their
    siblings. So, oftentimes, we find that the parents are not
    always the best source of information when it comes to this.
    When we know that a child has run away and we can't explain
    why, we are going to be speaking with the siblings. We are
    going to be seeking their friends. What is their online
    presence? And it is not always apparent with those initial
    reports. That is why we dig in and do a very comprehensive risk
    assessment.
        Mr. Johnson. So my district, the entire State of South
    Dakota has, you know, nine reservations as well as, you know,
    tens of thousands of Native peoples living on and off
    reservation. You know, does NCMEC have particular resources
    that they are deploying to Indian Country that can help with
    this issue?
        Mr. Lowery. Absolutely. We are in Indian Country quite
    frequently. We have programs, not only with AMBER Alert --
    frankly, I was in Arizona and New Mexico recently helping the
    Navaho Nation establish their AMBER Alert program. But we are
    very, very active in our interventions with Indian and Tribal
    communities, which are oftentimes considered to be underserved.
        You know, the reports of missing children sometimes are
    sparse, and we encourage the reporting. So we are sharing with
    their law enforcement agencies and the families not to be
    hesitant to report their children missing. We are there to help
    them and provide those services. But we have been very, very
    active in that regard, especially up in the north.
        Mr. Johnson. Well said. Thank you, Mr. Lowery.
        Thank you, Madam Chair, and I yield back.
        Mrs. Hayes. Thank you. I now recognize myself for 5
    minutes.
        So welcome to the witnesses. I have heard a lot of things
    today that really has got me thinking about some things back at
    home. One of the things in my hometown in Waterbury,
    Connecticut, we have the largest homeless youth population in
    my community. And as an educator, I always saw kids who were
    transitioning out of high school faced with these challenges.
        And I reached out this week in preparation for this hearing
    to our shelter, to some of our community foundations. And one
    of the things I found out was that we have the largest -- let
    me be more specific -- the largest homeless LGBTQ youth
    population, and part and parcel due to the fact that Waterbury
    has the largest capacity of homeless shelters.
        But our homeless shelter assigns anyone who comes according
    to their identity, their sexual orientation at birth. And many
    of these young people end up on the street as a result of that.
    So our community has really just become the place where all of
    this happens.
        I guess, Mr. Lowery, is there anything as we are thinking
    about that specifically, young people being assigned to dorm-
    style shelter units by their gender identity at birth, is there
    any way that we can assure that youth are getting the services
    that they need and not going to the streets instead of going to
    a shelter, because of issues like that?
        Mr. Lowery. Well, you bring up an excellent point, ma'am.
    The LGBTQ community is obviously a very vulnerable population
    of children. But when those reports are made -- and we get
    those reports quite frequently of children who run away -- the
    sexual orientation is not really relevant to the work we are
    doing. We are assessing the risk that child faces instead.
        So we don't keep this particular data on that population of
    kids nor any other population, because race, sex, and sexual
    orientation is only part of the work that we do. And it is
    using that information that we have about the individual child
    to assess the risk that they face. Oftentimes, we know that
    those children face higher rates of victimization, so that
    raises that risk level.
        Mrs. Hayes. But specifically about this -- I don't mean to
    cut you off. I just don't want all my time to run out.
        Dr. Giovengo, do you have any information in that specific
    area?
        Ms. Giovengo. Yes. At least YouthCare's practices and I
    think the practices of most of the RHY programs around the
    country is to be gender-affirming and supportive of young
    people. So, as they come in, they basically identify the gender
    that they identify as, and we then assign them beds or units
    based on their choice and their selection. Their self-identity
    is gender-affirming, --
        Mrs. Hayes. Thank you.
        Ms. Giovengo. -- which I think is really critical for their
    safety.
        Mrs. Hayes. Two other things that I want to elevate right
    now, and I will ask both my questions at once so that if we get
    to the end of the time, at least I will have asked the
    questions.
        The first one is we are talking a lot about youth who are
    of the age to make the choice. I know there are also lots of
    minors who are homeless youth. And, again, in this city, where
    we have the largest homeless shelters, we have a lot of
    families who are housed there.
        And what I saw was in the summer, you know, you had a mom
    who lived in the shelter but had full-time employment and was
    on the pathway to stable and secure housing, but because there
    was no school, they often were forced to quit their jobs,
    because they now had to leave the shelter at 9 a.m. and be out
    all day and had nowhere to put their children.
        So I am going to come back to you, Dr. Morton, on this.
    Does your research address any of the wraparound services that
    we can provide for people as they are on the pathway to stable
    and secure housing, even while they are homeless?
        And then my next question is something that we touched upon
    earlier. I have worked so hard as an educator so many times to
    get kids through our high school system, get them enrolled in
    college, get them on a campus. And, just like you said, when
    the campuses go on break, these kids are back in a situation
    and often can't recover. You know, are on the Dean's list, have
    been doing amazing work; go through the summer and can't
    return.
        So, again, what are the wraparound services we can provide?
    So, with the remainder of my time, I would like Dr. Morton and
    Mr. -- or even Mr. Baker, because you have had some experience
    here.
        Mr. Morton. Thank you very much, Congresswoman.
        I would say that, you know, the research certainly
    reinforces that young people need housing stability, and
    permanent housing is a basis for success in areas elsewhere,
    but also underscores the fact that youth homelessness is a
    product of more than housing instability. It is also about
    ruptured relationships, a lack of education, an ability to
    connect to a long-term career path with stable income in the
    context of rapidly increasing housing prices.
        So all of these connected supports and services are really
    essential to young people and that they are offered in a
    trauma-informed way and that they establish meaningful long-
    term connections in the community for young people that they
    can utilize and engage beyond the life of the specific housing
    program.
        Mrs. Hayes. Thank you. Unfortunately, my time has expired,
    but I just want us all to think about and be reminded that
    these are -- like you said, it is not just the housing. It is
    all of those connected services and the extension of what
    happens to these children in our communities. I guess I am
    yielding back to myself.
        I now recognize the Ranking Member of this Subcommittee,
    Mr. Comer from Kentucky.
        Mr. Comer. Before I begin my questions, Mr. Baker, I just
    have to say that I was very impressed with your story. You
    certainly are an inspiration. I am glad that you serve now as
    an advocate because you should be a role model to the youth
    that we are talking about today.
        And I just wanted to publicly say that, Mr. Lowery, you
    took a lot of time to discuss why it is important to consider
    these kids as missing rather than as runaways or something
    else. How successful has the Center been in getting communities
    to see that, and what kind of education do you do to help
    spread that message?
        Mr. Lowery. Thank you, Mr. Ranking Member. Yes, what we
    find is very frustrating, is that we face a desensitized and an
    apathetic public when we advertise the fact that this child was
    a runaway, in fact, so much so that, several years ago, we made
    a conscious decision to remove that designation from our
    posters when we are facing to the public. Unfortunately, the
    public doesn't understand the endangerments these children
    face. So, instead, now we embarked on an education program and
    sharing of information program so that we raise public
    awareness of the endangerments. And we are seeing progress,
    although it is coming in increments.
        We know also that the public is now starting to recognize
    that they play a role when it comes to finding our children in
    our communities. And we also know that media -- frankly, it was
    very difficult for us to get media attention for a child if
    they knew that child was a runaway. So we are starting to get
    better media attention to our children, especially when we
    start talking to them about that risk that child faces.
        So, if they are in danger, we are getting much better --
    and law enforcement is doing a much better job. We have been
    sharing best practices, recommendations with law enforcement.
    We encourage rapid response, rapid search that is being
    adopted. And, frankly, I am working right now with our partners
    at the International Association of Chiefs of Police to develop
    model policies for response to missing children that we hope
    will be soon adopted by most agencies across the country.
        Mr. Comer. A child that is missing is a crisis, no matter
    where they come from or who they are. However, sometimes it
    helps to have better information about the child to try to
    locate them faster. What kind of information is important, and
    how does the Center spread that information out in a useful
    manner to help local organizations find and bring the child
    home?
        Mr. Lowery. Excellent question. Yes, sir. When we get a
    report of a missing child, immediately at the time that report
    is being made, we are taking information from the caller. As I
    say, we are a child-centric organization, meaning that we don't
    treat that child as a number, that we treat that child as a
    person.
        And each child that goes missing we know is a unique event.
    So, therefore, we are looking for information on who that child
    may be with, where they may be heading, why they left the
    environment that they left, if they had a social media presence
    with someone who may have been in contact with them that
    encouraged them to leave that safe environment.
        We are also watching very intently on whether or not these
    gangs are in contact with our kids, encouraging them to come
    there. And, again, these children are especially vulnerable to
    that kind of contact because they lack that sense of belonging
    oftentimes and maybe that sense of self-worth. So they are
    looking for someone who would look after them or possibly even
    protect them. Obviously, we know that is probably not the best
    choice to be made. But, again, we are not in the circumstances
    of those children. So we have learned from all that through
    that risk-assessment program.
        Also, each and every child is assigned to one singular case
    management team at the National Center. So they know that child
    better than anyone else and the behaviors. So when that child,
    as I say, goes reported missing more than once, that case
    manager is going to know where they have been found in the
    past, who they have been in the company with. So they are
    sharing that information with law enforcement and the social
    service agencies to expediently return that child to a safe
    place.
        Mr. Comer. My last question I am going to ask Mr. Baker: Is
    there anything in particular that we in Congress should be
    aware of as we look at programs to help vulnerable children or
    anything you would like to mention that would be helpful for us
    to know?
        Mr. Baker. Thank you for the question, Ranking Member
    Comer. I think one thing that Congress should be aware of is
    the Homeless and Foster Youth Act of 2019. This act would
    streamline the process for applying for financial aid,
    receiving financial aid. It would help students access housing,
    and it would designate a higher education liaison to, you know,
    hold a place for these students to access services.
        In San Diego, the community college that I went to had an
    equity office, and that was a place where students could go to
    get a little sticker on their ID so that they didn't have to
    self-identify that they were homeless. It also gave us access
    to showers in the morning, which is essential for somebody who
    is trying to get themselves together, especially while trying
    to avoid self-identifying, which is one of the main things that
    keeps a young person from accessing services.
        Mr. Comer. Well, thank you very much.
        My time has expired, and I yield back.
        Mrs. Hayes. Thank you. I now recognize the gentleman from
    Kentucky, Mr. Yarmuth.
        Mr. Yarmuth. I thank Chairwoman Hayes and Ranking Member
    Comer and also for the witnesses for being here. I am very
    grateful to the Committee to allow me to participate in today's
    hearing. I would also like to thank again the witnesses.
        And I am here because I am the lead Democrat on the
    reauthorization of the Runaway and Homeless Youth and
    Trafficking Prevention Act, which I am working to finalize now
    with Representative Bacon here in the House and with Senators
    Leahy and Collins in the Senate.
        This hearing presents a great opportunity to discuss how we
    can strengthen our RHY programs and work toward ending youth
    homelessness altogether. Youth homelessness is an issue that I
    have focused on throughout my time in Congress, and the
    testimony presented today demonstrates the need for increased
    support from the Federal Government in these critical programs.
        Investing in children is the most important investment we
    can make in our Nation's future, and homeless youth are among
    the most vulnerable people in our communities. We know that
    homeless youth are at high risk for developing physical,
    behavioral, and emotional problems and potentially becoming
    victims of sex and labor trafficking.
        Given the right support, we can help these young people
    effectively transition into adulthood, become competitive in
    the workforce, and positively contribute to society. Yet, 1 in
    10 young adults and 1 in 30 adolescents are homeless and in
    need of services, which clearly exceeds the resources of RHY
    programs.
        For the young people who do receive RHY services, the
    current funding level limits that assistance to $30 per day per
    young person, on average. So we have two gaps to fill between
    those who need services and those who are getting it and the
    level of services provided to each young person and what is
    needed, to make sure each individual is safe and set up to
    succeed, which brings me to my questions.
        Dr. Giovengo, your testimony talks about the importance of
    extending the grant length from 3 to 5 years. Could you tell us
    how that change would improve service delivery to young people?
        Ms. Giovengo. Absolutely. This is something that we are
    very passionate about in the field, because the 3-year grant
    cycle really keeps our staff on kind of pins and needles about
    if they are going to have a job. And that constant
    reauthorization really doesn't allow us to develop especially
    young staff into excellent staff and maintain them over time.
        People change people. That is what makes a difference in
    the lives of our young people that we serve. And the better we
    are able to maintain both the programming, the consistency of
    the people, and the quality of the people that we have in
    programs makes a huge difference. A commitment of 3 to 5 years
    allows us to focus our resources on, you know, developing a
    workforce that are the experts and that can stay committed to
    the young person.
        I mean, I submitted a story in my written testimony about a
    young man, a young person that said, you know, 3 years, worked
    with the same person over 3 years. That is how he got out of
    homelessness. And so I think that one of the things it allows
    us to do is stabilize these programs and help build the kind of
    community sustainability that we need to keep them going in
    whatever economic times.
        Mr. Yarmuth. Just following up, what would you like to see
    Congress do other than extend the duration from 3 to 5 years,
    for Congress to do to strengthen these programs?
        Ms. Giovengo. Well, I think we have talked about the idea
    of going from 21 to 30 days, and where licensing allows it even
    longer for young people, so that we can actually work on long-
    term placement for young people, either getting them back home
    or building more transitional living programs for those minors
    16 to 18 years old so that they are not just discharged to
    another shelter.
        I think those are two critical pieces, extending the
    timeline, working on the length of the grant. And, of course,
    the level of funding would be critical. We need, you know, way
    more than $127 million to have an RHY program in every
    community. And I think Congress needs to recognize the cost of
    dealing with minors and licensing and having quality services.
        Helping young people regain their lives, ending
    homelessness is an expensive undertaking. And I would say that
    we turn away young people, you know, every day all across this
    country. And, you know, just as a saying, you know, traffickers
    don't have wait lists. So, when they can't be served by us and
    when we don't have a resource in a community, someone is right
    there waiting for them, and we need to be there to ensure that
    these young people's lives are not destroyed and trauma loaded
    over time.
        Mr. Yarmuth. Thank you.
        And, Mr. Baker, I really don't have time to ask a question,
    but I want to, once again, congratulate you and thank you for
    your testimony. I remember the first time we had a hearing on
    the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act. And we had a young man
    named Robbie who had come through our Safe Place program in
    Louisville, Kentucky, and he had everybody in the room in tears
    because his story was so inspirational, and yours is as well.
        So, once again, let me thank the Subcommittee for allowing
    me to participate. And as someone that serves the district
    where Safe Place was started and is now the home for National
    Safe Place headquarters, I am very, very proud to be a part of
    this effort.
        So thanks again, and I yield back.
        Mrs. Hayes. Thank you. That is the end of our questioning.
    Thank you all for your time.
        I remind my colleagues that, pursuant to the Committee
    practice, materials for submission for the hearing record must
    be submitted to the Committee Clerk within 14 days following
    the last day of the hearing, preferably in Microsoft Word
    format. The material submitted must address the subject matter
    of the hearing. Only a Member of the Committee or an invited
    witness may submit materials for inclusion in the hearing
    record. Documents are limited to 50 pages each. Documents
    longer than 50 pages will be incorporated into the record via
    an internet link that you must provide to the Committee Clerk
    within the required timeframe, but please recognize that, years
    from now, that link may no longer work.
        And now, without objection, I would like to enter into the
    record a research brief from Chapin Hall detailing that a
    comprehensive study of the national prevalence of youth
    homelessness showed that 4.2 million youth experience
    homelessness each year; a report from the U.S. Interagency
    Council on Homelessness summarizing what the Federal Government
    knows about the scale of youth homelessness and identifying the
    gaps in robust data on youth homelessness; a guide from the
    U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness summarizing strategies
    and promising practices for ending youth homelessness; and a
    report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office on child
    well-being showing that homelessness has increased among
    students and families in recent years.
        Without objection, so ordered.
        [The information follows:]
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        CHILD WELL BEING: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CPRT-
    116HPRT40976/pdf/CPRT-116HPRT40976.pdf
        Mrs. Hayes. Again, I want to thank the witnesses for their
    participation today. What we have heard is very valuable.
    Members of the Committee may have some additional questions for
    you, and we ask the witnesses to please respond to those
    questions in writing. The hearing record will be held open for
    14 days in order to receive those responses. I remind my
    colleagues that pursuant to committee practice, witness
    questioning for the hearing records must be submitted to the
    majority committee staff or Committee Clerk within 7 days. The
    questions submitted must address the subject matter of this
    hearing.
        I now recognize the distinguished Ranking Member for his
    closing statement.
        Mr. Comer. Thank you, Madam Chairwoman. And thank you all
    for coming here today and sharing your stories and thoughts on
    runaway and homeless youth. You all confirmed the sad reality
    that homeless youth face grave dangers. I am happy to hear
    about your efforts to help keep these children safe. What we
    know is that this work continues and that it is critical to
    engage many partners in the work to bring these children home
    and help keep them home.
        I particularly appreciated hearing about various facets of
    work to help save these children, including the efforts
    undertaken by the National Center for Missing & Exploited
    Children. The work they do when a child goes missing is
    critical and is a vital part of the system to provide help to
    protect runaways and homeless children. The service with our
    other witnesses are equally important to saving these children.
    And, finally, without good data, we can't properly assess our
    work and know what works. All these parts combine to help
    protect children, and I want to thank you again for all the
    work that you do.
        Thank you, and I yield back.
        Mrs. Hayes. Thank you. I now recognize myself for the
    purposes of making a closing statement.
        Today's hearing made clear to the Members of this
    Subcommittee that youth homelessness is a pervasive issue that
    demands our attention. Congress has a responsibility to ensure
    all children and youth have access to stable housing. As our
    witnesses shared, youth homelessness is not only an urgent
    public health crisis facing millions of youth across the
    country, it is a threat to the safety and development of our
    country's future.
        Without stable housing, far too many young Americans cannot
    access the resources and support that are so crucial to
    excelling in school, staying safe from horrific abuse and
    sexual exploitation, and learning to live self-sufficient and
    independent lives.
        Importantly, today's hearing also confirmed that youth
    homelessness is not experienced equally across all communities.
    Systemic discrimination throughout our society subjects
    children in underserved communities to a significantly higher
    risk of suffering the long-lasting consequences of youth
    homelessness.
        As our witnesses shared, family disputes, abuse, and
    experience with the juvenile justice and foster systems push
    LGBTQ youth and Black and Latino youth into homelessness at
    disproportionately higher rates. Young parents are also more
    likely to face homelessness, putting not only themselves at
    risk but also their young infants and toddlers, whose lives are
    just starting.
        After hearing what our witnesses had to say, I do not think
    anyone disagrees that Congress must update and improve Federal
    policy to help eliminate youth homelessness. Drawing from our
    discussions today, I look forward to working with each of my
    colleagues to pass the bipartisan reauthorization of the
    Runaway and Homeless Youth Act we so urgently need.
        We need a reauthorization that meets the needs of young
    adults by extending the length of time youth can stay in Basic
    Center programs and prioritize family engagement when it is in
    the best interests of the youth. We need a reauthorization that
    centers trauma-informed practices to effectively serve and
    support youth who have been victims of abuse, trafficking, or
    sexual exploitation. And we need a reauthorization that ensures
    that young people, no matter where they find shelter, do not
    face discrimination or abuse, based on their age, race,
    religion, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
        I hope that all of us here can work together to realize
    these priorities and take long overdue steps to ensure that no
    child in this country endures the trauma and uncertainty of
    youth homelessness. Our Nation's children deserve no less.
        Thank you all for your time here today. If there is no
    further business, without objection, the Committee stands
    adjourned.
        [Questions submitted for the record and their responses
    follow:]
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        [Whereupon, at 3:55 p.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.

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