Minors may be experiencing homelessness alone for a number of reasons, such as abuse or family conflict over sexual orientation and gender identity. There are existing services that could help, but current law prevents youth under the age of 18 from consenting to many of these services without a parent – despite the reality that seeking their parents’ consent may not be an option. This leads to youth often being turned away when they seek services, like case management and use of laundry facilities, lockers, and showers at day shelters.

When young people cannot access the services they need, they are extremely vulnerable to victimization and violence. As the 2022 Massachusetts Youth Count found, respondents who left home as minors were less likely to be sheltered or receive the help they need.

The Massachusetts Senate recently released its proposed housing bond bill, and Senator Gomez has filed Amendment #209. This amendment would enable unaccompanied minors to provide consent for themselves and access important services, helping youth experiencing homelessness between the ages of 15 to 18 meet their immediate needs and assisting them on their journey towards stability.

Similarly, Amendment #271 filed by Senator Kennedy would match the scale of need across the state by allocating $10,000,000 in funding for housing and wraparound services for youth and young adults experiencing homelessness.

Youth homelessness in Massachusetts has surged over the past year, with one of the only Boston shelters that serves young people seeing demand increase by 42%. It is urgent that our legislators support Amendments #209 and #271 in the housing bond bill to help create a sustained and effective response to this crisis.

We’ve already started a message for you – click “Start Writing” above to add your own details and urge your State Senator to help ensure the housing bond bill includes these amendments!