“Our goal as a nation must be to ensure no children or youth are invisible and make every child and youth count. Voices of Youth Count will get us closer to achieving that goal for many homeless youth, who too often are invisible, and help pave the way to successful futures for even more.”

– MaryLee Allen, Director of Child Welfare and Mental Health, Children’s Defense Fund

“Effective advocacy requires good information and knowing what works. Voices of Youth Count will be a critical advocacy tool as we look to end youth homelessness across the country.”

– Sheila Babb Anderson, Campion Foundation

“Voices of Youth Count is a critical to deepening our knowledge of the scale of youth homelessness in the United States to move communities and policies forward that are effective  in preventing and serving all youth experiencing homelessness.”

– Darla Bardine, National Network for Youth

“Public schools are often the only safety net for youth. Our members witness the struggles and triumphs of homeless youth in school districts of every size. We also contend with the misunderstandings and lack of awareness that stand in the way of solutions. For these reasons, NAEHCY is proud to support Voices of Youth Count. We look forward to the knowledge and action that this unprecedented effort will bring.”

 – Barbara Duffield, National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth

“Understanding of the scope and breadth of youth homelessness in America is the essential starting point for ensuring that all young people have safe, affordable places to live and opportunities to reach their full potential. We are so pleased to be a part of this timely national effort to bring awareness, data, and resources to this critical issue.”

 – Janice Elliott, Executive Director, Melville Charitable Trust

“Count us in. Homelessness among youth has devastating and costly results for us all. We know that system-involved youth who age out of foster care have a higher risk of homelessness, which can limit their potential and threaten their futures. We need efforts like Voices of Youth Count to understand the size and the scope of youth homelessness, and to make sure that youth have a seat at the table. Youth’s lived experiences humanize the problem of homelessness and helps us shape, sharpen and mobilize our collective ideas to solve it. By moving forward together with youth, we remove the cloak that renders the most vulnerable youth invisible, empower a new generation and take constructive action to eradicate youth homelessness.”

– Frank Farrow, Director, Center for the Study of Social Policy.

“Youth homelessness is both senseless and unacceptable. The conditions that these youth face during their formative years directly shapes how they will spend the rest of their lives. The only way to stop the cycle of homelessness is by unifying our efforts. The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty is joining Voices of Youth Count to bring a more focused look at the experiences of youth facing homelessness.”

-Maria Foscarinis, Executive Director, National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty

“Voices of Youth Count will offer unprecedented insight into who youth experiencing homelessness are and what we as a nation can do to prevent, reduce and end youth homelessness.”

– Katie Hong, Raikes Foundation

“National Safe Place Network is incredibly supportive of the Voices of Youth Count being launched by Chapin Hall. This count is a necessary and vital undertaking. It has been decades since any type of national count has been conducted and the previous counts were not as comprehensive or as thoughtful. This count will assist all of the affiliated Safe Place agencies with not only validating their work but also justifying the need for increased funding for runaway and homeless youth.”

– Laurie Jackson, President / CEO of National Safe Place Network

“CWLA is proud to be part of this very important effort to better understand the life circumstances of some of our most vulnerable youth. One of our core principles is the engagement and participation of children, youth and families. This important project is an opportunity for all of the partners to share knowledge and resources and leverage the knowledge and resources gained from families and youth to contribute to better outcomes for children and families.”

– Christine James-Brown, Executive Director, Child Welfare League of America

“Our co-founder Cyndi Lauper is very fond of saying, ‘Knowledge is power.’ No truer words could be spoken when it comes to ensuring that no young person experiences homelessness in America. Because of Voices of Youth Count and the essential data and information it will provide, we will have the power to create real change for young people and those who work to help them every single day across the country.”

– Gregory Lewis, Executive Director, True Colors Fund

“We are excited to see unprecedented momentum across the country to solve the problem of youth homelessness. To make significant progress, we need a deeper understanding of which young people experience homelessness, why, and what communities can do to help them reach the safe, stable environments they need to thrive. Voices of Youth Count will offer the actionable insights needed to inform policies and empower communities on our journey to make youth homelessness rare, brief and one-time in this country.”

– Tricia Raikes, co-founder of the Seattle-based Raikes Foundation

“I am very supportive of Voices of Youth Count as it will help to make the case for a more comprehensive response to the real needs of youth and young adults who are homeless.”

– Debby Shore, Executive Director, Sasha Bruce Youthwork

“For too long, the laws and legal practices that affect homeless youth have been driven not by research, but by anecdote. Voices of Youth Count will help improve our confidence in our approach to ending youth homelessness approaches by illuminating policy solutions that are supported by evidence.”

– Casey Trupin, Special Advisor, American Bar Association Commission on Homelessness and Poverty