Recent gains made across California to reduce the number of homeless youth and provide support to children may see a reversal due to proposed funding cuts for safety net programs that support aging foster youth and other young people facing housing instability, according to a new report from John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY).
Between 2019 and 2024, youth homelessness increased 11 percent nationwide while in California it declined by 24 percent.
Although statewide Point-in-Time (PIT) Count data is largely understood to be an undercount, advocates agree that the state’s focused approach has yielded positive results. For example, 68 percent of California’s Continuums of Care (CoCs) reported reductions in the number of youth experiencing homelessness between 2019 and 2024. Of the CoCs with the highest numbers of youth experiencing homelessness, 80 percent saw a reduction in youth homelessness during that period.
“Over the past six years, California has taken a two-pronged approach to reducing youth homelessness: first, by targeting prevention efforts toward those at highest risk, such as youth exiting foster care, and second, by strengthening the broader safety net for young people who don’t qualify for foster care related programs but still face housing instability or homelessness due to similar challenges,” according to the report.
Researchers at JBAY note that, as of July 31, 2025, more than 50,000 youth have been served by programs funded through the state’s Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) program, which requires local jurisdictions to dedicate a portion of their funds — known as the “youth set-aside” — to address homelessness among youth.
HHAP-funded programs provide housing, rental assistance, supportive services and preventative resources that JBAY’s report says has helped drive the state’s first significant decline in youth homelessness.
“Now, California stands at a crossroads. For the first time since HHAP’s creation in 2019, the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025–26 state budget excludes HHAP funding, putting this progress at risk,” the report states. “Although a $500 million allocation is proposed for FY 2026–27 (the youth sector to receive 10 percent of it), its inclusion in the state’s budget remains uncertain and contingent upon new legislation. At a moment when federal funding is also under threat, sustaining state investment is essential to preserve the gains made and ensure that no young person in California faces homelessness as they enter adulthood.”
For local communities, recommendations are limited: the report suggests maximizing use of federal funding for youth homelessness prevention while it’s still available and adopting strategies to improve the accuracy of the youth PIT Count.
For state policymakers, recommendations detailed in the report include:
- Establishing an ongoing funding guarantee for youth within the HHAP program and continuing to fund a broad range of eligible uses in future rounds of HHAP
- Using HHAP to bridge support for vulnerable youth while recent housing reforms take effect
- Continuing to include CoCs, counties and large cities in future rounds of HHAP
- Sustaining investments in targeted prevention for youth from the foster care system
