[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 199 (Tuesday, November 16, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8243-S8244]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 452--RECOGNIZING NOVEMBER 2021 AS ``NATIONAL HOMELESS 
                  CHILDREN AND YOUTH AWARENESS MONTH''

  Mr. MANCHIN (for himself, Ms. Collins, Mr. Wyden, Ms. Cantwell, Mrs. 
Feinstein, Mr. Coons, Mr. Peters, Ms. Hirono, Ms. Klobuchar, Ms. 
Hassan, Mr. Van Hollen, Ms. Murkowski, Mr. Blumenthal, and Mr. Reed) 
submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 452

       Whereas, in the United States, public schools identified 
     approximately 1,400,000 homeless children and youth during 
     the 2018-2019 school year;
       Whereas an estimated 1,300,000 children younger than 6 
     years of age in 2018-2019 and approximately 4,200,000 youth 
     and young adults in 2017 experienced homelessness, with many 
     such children, youth, and young adults staying on couches, in 
     motels, in shelters, or outside;
       Whereas infants experiencing homelessness are at a higher 
     risk for certain illnesses and health conditions, and 
     families experiencing homelessness are more likely to 
     experience involvement in the child welfare system and 
     difficulty with school attendance;
       Whereas 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 2018, the high school graduation rate for 
     students experiencing homelessness was 67.8 percent, compared 
     to 80 percent for low-income students and 85.5 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;
       Whereas COVID-19 in the United States, which was declared a 
     national emergency under the National Emergencies Act (50 
     U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), has had a disproportionate effect on 
     children, youth, and families experiencing homelessness; 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, State and local 
     governments, organizations, educators, and volunteers 
     dedicated to meeting the needs of homeless children and 
     youth;

[[Page S8244]]

       (2) applauds the initiatives of businesses, State and local 
     governments, 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 2021 as ``National Homeless 
     Children and Youth Awareness Month''; and
       (4) encourages those businesses, State and local 
     governments, organizations, educators, and volunteers to 
     continue to intensify their efforts to address homelessness 
     among children and youth during November 2021.

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