After more than a decade of almost no state funding of homeless youth services, the 2023 Legislature finally made an investment of $20.1 million in children in our communities. This has allowed existing community providers to improve and expand services, getting youth off the street, away from danger, and leading to incredible stories of success and hope. It has also enabled unserved regions to provide services and supports to these youth for the first time in almost a decade.

However, the state's own careful 2022 analysis indicated that the Legislature should be spending $154 million every two years on this group of our state's most vulnerable children.Youth homelessness is the #1 indicator of adult homelessness. Thus, the report confirmed that investing in kids is just plain common sense!