The Community Shelter Board (CSB) held its annual Point-in-Time (PIT) count of Columbus and Franklin County’s homeless population on Jan. 23. This snapshot, used by Housing & Urban Development (HUD), informs policy, funding, and community responses to homelessness. The Youth Partners Coalition—Huckleberry House, Star House, Home for Families, YWCA, and Buckeye Ranch—works to address youth homelessness, a sector often underrepresented in the count.
Youth homelessness is difficult to report due to where young people seek refuge during times of crisis. Many minors (12–17) and transition-aged youth (TAY, 18–24) flee unsafe homes and avoid services, often choosing unstable housing the PIT count misses. Their invisible living situations make them the hardest demographic to track and support.
Unsheltered Minors
The McKinney-Vento Act defines unsheltered youth as minors lacking parental custody and a stable nighttime residence. In Franklin County, over 3,000 youth (14–25) face homelessness annually. While the 2024 PIT count of youth was lower than the previous year, the count reflects only one night and counts only those at Huckleberry House’s Teen Crisis Shelter. Huckleberry House Interim Executive Director Lynda Leclerc notes, “Up to 14 minors seek shelter with us daily, and 404 relied on our shelter in FY’24. The claim that only four minors are unsheltered misrepresents the reality we face.”
Transition-Aged Youth
In 2019, CSB partnered to create a Youth Homeless System to reduce homelessness for youth ages 18-24. Transition-aged youth face unique neurological, emotional, and social challenges heightened during crises. HUD defines these youth as homeless or at risk, including those aging out of foster care or leaving it within 90 days.
Currently, the PIT Count classifies TAY as homeless adults, therefore masking the number of overall youth experiencing homelessness. Star House reports in 2024, their drop-in center served more than 1,500 individual youth, ages 14-24, up from 819 in 2021. Ann Bischoff, CEO of Star House, says, “Central Ohio’s rapid growth and related housing shortage have contributed to record demand for our organizations’ services. We need the community’s support to build and sustain the infrastructure required to help youth exit homelessness for good and thrive in their homes and careers.”
Youth homelessness is often invisible, but it is no less urgent. Our Coalition is proud of the work we do to ensure all youth are safe and stably housed, and yet, it is vital we are honest about the realities we see while carrying out our missions. Home for Families Executive Director Beth Fetzer Rice reports, “There have been multiple requests by high schools and Columbus State schools this year to house youth under 18. It underlines the increased difficulty for our community’s youth to find and maintain housing due to cost and low vacancy rates.”
Our organizations are seeing an increased demand for services and decreased resources, but our coalition remains committed to addressing youth homelessness. We cannot do it alone. We call on our community to stand with us to ensure that every young person in central Ohio has the opportunity to build a stable, healthy future.
Learn more about the organizations in the Youth Partners Coalition here.
SOURCES
- McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
- Columbus and Franklin County Continuum of Care and Community Shelter Board’s March 2019 report called: A Place to Call Home For Youth
- Community Shelter Board 2024 Point-in-Time Count Results on Homelessness in Columbus and Franklin County, Ohio. April 30, 2024.
