Today, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) reintroduced bipartisan legislation to provide vital services to youth experiencing homelessness. The Leahy-Collins Runaway and Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act would reauthorize programs to help young people obtain housing, education, and job training, and provide training to assist service providers in identifying victims of human trafficking.
While gay and transgender youth make up seven percent of our total youth population, they comprise up to 40% of all homeless youth in America. The Runaway and Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act contains a non-discrimination provision that protects all youth, including on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. This provision is critical in ensuring that all young people, regardless of who they are, are able to access and safely engage with the programs and support they need.
“We often talk about human trafficking as an international problem, but the sad truth is that it is a major problem right here at home,” Senator Leahy said. “If we are to make a real difference to end modern day slavery, we must protect those who are most vulnerable and prevent the exploitation in the first place. We cannot simply focus on ending demand and arrest our way out of this problem; we must eliminate the conditions that make these children so vulnerable. Passing the Runaway and Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act is an important step in that direction.”
“Despite the recent decline we have seen in chronic homelessness, there are still more than 1.6 million homeless teens in the United States,” Senator Collins said. “As Chairman of the Housing Appropriations Subcommittee, one of my goals is to address chronic homelessness. We must make sure our nation’s homeless youth have the same opportunity to succeed as other youth. The programs reauthorized by this bill are critical in helping homeless youth stay off the street and find stable, sustainable housing.”
The True Colors Fund firmly supports this Act, which strengthens crucial services in the effort to end youth homelessness. We thank Senators Leahy and Collins for their leadership on this reauthorization, and are committed to working with Congress to ensure this vital piece of legislation is passed.