Homeless Children and Youth: Causes and Consequences

By and large, homeless children and youth fall into one of two groups: children and youth who experience family homelessness and those identified as unaccompanied youth. While the definitions of homeless may vary slightly by federal agencies, the Department of Education has a broad and comprehensive definition of homeless children and youth established under the McKinney-Vento Act. The education law defines homeless children and youth as those who do not have a stable, consistent place to stay at night.