Manchin, Collins Lead Bipartisan Effort to Designate November 2024 as National Homeless Children and Youth Awareness Month

Manchin, Collins Lead Bipartisan Effort to Designate November 2024 as National Homeless Children and Youth Awareness Month

Washington, DC - U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (I-WV) and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced a bipartisan resolution to designate November 2024 as National Homeless Children and Youth Awareness Month to bring attention to the children and youth experiencing homelessness across the country. In the United States, more than 1.4 million students experienced homelessness during the 2022-2023 school year, including an estimated 13,530 students in West Virginia and more than 4,100 students in Maine.

"Every child deserves a roof over their head and a warm, safe place to sleep at night. Unfortunately, that is not the case for more than 13,500 youth and children in West Virginia and more than 1,400,000 children across the country," said Senator Manchin. "It is more important than ever that we work together to address this heartbreaking issue. I'm proud to lead my bipartisan colleagues in designating November 2024 as National Homeless Children and Youth Awareness Month to highlight the need for more action."

"Growing up is challenging enough without young people having to worry about where they will sleep each night. Without the proper support, these children are at risk of dropping out of school and are in greater danger of exploitation," said Senator Collins. "This bipartisan resolution helps to increase awareness of the plight of homeless children and youth, reaffirms our commitment to provide all children with the same opportunity to succeed, and recognizes the hard work being done by businesses, organizations, schools, and volunteers to prevent youth homelessness."

"Homelessness among children and youth is on the rise, again, with potentially devastating impacts on their health, development, and future. Yet it often remains hidden from public sight. Awareness is the first step toward action. SchoolHouse Connection applauds this bipartisan, bicameral resolution and urges all sectors of society to take steps to ensure that today's homeless children and youth do not become tomorrow's homeless adults," said Barbara Duffield, Executive Director, SchoolHouse Connection.

Senators Manchin and Collins were joined by Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), Chris Coons (D-DE), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).

The text of the resolution is available here.