Findings

The Congress finds the following: (1) Each year, an estimated 4,200,000 youth and young adults experience homelessness in the United States. (2) Youth and young adults face many barriers to safe and stable housing, such as systemic and structural racism, age discrimination, and a scarce supply of affordable housing suitable for occupancy. (3) Black, Indigenous, and other youth and young adults of color have been systematically excluded from employment opportunities and access to stable income. (4) Prior to the COVID–19 pandemic, 1 in 5 young people of color were living in poverty, as opposed to 1 in 9 young White people, and the impact of the pandemic has resulted in an exponential widening of the inequity faced by Black, Indigenous, and other youth and young adults of color when seeking safe housing and careers of their choice with stable income. (5) Full-time minimum-wage earners cannot afford the average cost of a 2-bedroom apartment anywhere in the United States. (6) The changing nature of the economy—including the growth of the gig economy in which workers earn income providing on-demand work, services, or goods; unemployment risks posed by automation; and the fluctuating nature of waged labor—will result in increased income volatility and prevent upward economic mobility, especially among young adults.