- Guides and Training Manuals
Date Published: October 2015
This guide uses hypothetical scenarios to help providers understand how youth meet HUD’s definition of homelessness and what documentation is needed to establish homeless status for youth. The definition of homelessness is not specific to youth or any age group (with the exception of Category 3 for families and youth defined as homeless under other federal statutes); yet, many communities have had difficulty determining how youth meet HUD’s definition of homelessness and what is required in terms of documenting homeless status. This guide assists providers in understanding the definition of homelessness found in the Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) and Continuum of Care (CoC) Programs so that youth are not turned away in error from the housing and services that they need.
In addition to determining and documenting homeless status according to HUD, providers must also determine whether participants meet specific project eligibility criteria. This guide is not intended to assist with eligibility determination beyond the definition of homelessness.