[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 182 (Thursday, November 14, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S6611]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 423--RECOGNIZING NOVEMBER 2019 AS ``NATIONAL HOMELESS 
                  CHILDREN AND YOUTH AWARENESS MONTH''

  Mr. MANCHIN (for himself, Ms. Collins, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Young, Mr. 
Booker, Mr. Lankford, Ms. Hirono, Ms. Hassan, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. 
Coons, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Peters, and Mr. Reed) submitted the 
following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 423

       Whereas, in the United States, public schools identified 
     approximately 1,300,000 homeless children and youth during 
     the 2016-2017 school year;
       Whereas an estimated 1,200,000 children younger than 6 
     years of age in 2014 and approximately 4,200,000 youth and 
     young adults in 2017 experienced homelessness, with many such 
     youth and young adults staying on couches, in motels, in 
     shelters, or outside;
       Whereas infants who are homeless are at a higher risk for 
     developing certain illnesses and health conditions, homeless 
     families are more likely to experience involvement in the 
     child welfare system, and homeless children are more likely 
     to experience difficulty with school attendance;
       Whereas a recent survey found that more than 1 in 3 high 
     school students experiencing homelessness had attempted 
     suicide, and nearly 1 in 4 high school students experiencing 
     homelessness had experienced dating violence;
       Whereas individuals without a high school degree or general 
     educational development certificate (GED) are more than 3 
     times more likely to report homelessness than their peers, 
     making lack of education the leading risk factor for 
     homelessness;
       Whereas, in 2016, the high school graduation rate for 
     homeless students was 64 percent, compared to 77 percent for 
     low-income students and 84.6 percent for all students;
       Whereas the rate of youth homelessness is the same in 
     rural, suburban, and urban areas;
       Whereas 29 percent of unaccompanied homeless youth between 
     13 and 25 years of age have spent time in foster care, 
     compared to approximately 6 percent of all children;
       Whereas homelessness among children and youth is a complex 
     issue that often co-occurs with deep poverty, low education 
     and employment levels, substance misuse and abuse, mental 
     illness, lack of affordable housing, and family conflict; and
       Whereas awareness of child and youth homelessness must be 
     heightened to encourage greater support for effective 
     programs to help children and youth overcome homelessness: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) supports the efforts of businesses, organizations, 
     educators, and volunteers dedicated to meeting the needs of 
     homeless children and youth;
       (2) applauds the initiatives of businesses, organizations, 
     educators, and volunteers that--
       (A) use time and resources to raise awareness of child and 
     youth homelessness, the causes of such homelessness, and 
     potential solutions; and
       (B) work to prevent homelessness among children and youth;
       (3) recognizes November 2019 as ``National Homeless 
     Children and Youth Awareness Month''; and
       (4) encourages those businesses, organizations, educators, 
     and volunteers to continue to intensify their efforts to 
     address homelessness among children and youth during November 
     2019.

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