Harper Elder, 16, biked toward her school. Snow swirled around her. Growing up in Utah, Harper was used to cold winters. But this year she wasn’t prepared. She had no gloves. She had no warm coat. 

    And she had no place to call home.

    It was early 2021. Harper had been sleeping on her older sister’s couch. It was a 45-minute bike ride to school. Harper knew she couldn’t stay there forever.

    Weeks earlier—after years of trouble at home—Harper’s parents had kicked her out. The first night, Harper had started walking to a friend’s house. But she stopped. She couldn’t bring herself to ask for help. “So I slept in a park,” says Harper, now 20. “It was very, very scary.”

    Many young people share Harper’s struggle. About 700,000 Americans ages 13-17 are homeless and on their own each year. 

    The problem affects young people in every state. And experts say it’s getting worse.

    Harper Elder was 16. She was biking to school. It was snowing. Harper was used to Utah’s cold winters. But this time, she had no gloves. She had no warm coat.

    And she had no home.

    It was early 2021. Harper had been staying with her older sister. She knew she couldn’t stay there forever.

    Harper’s parents had kicked her out just three weeks before her snowy bike ride. This was after years of trouble. That first night, Harper began walking to a friend’s house. But she was embarrassed to ask for help. “So I slept in a park,” says Harper, now 20. “It was very, very scary.”

    Harper’s struggle is not uncommon. About 700,000 Americans ages 13-17 are homeless and on their own each year.

    The problem affects young people in every state. Experts say it’s getting worse.

    Harper Elder, 16, biked toward her school as snow swirled around her. Having grown up in Utah, Harper was accustomed to cold winters—but this year she was unprepared, with no gloves and no warm coat.

    She also had no place to call home.

    It was early 2021, and Harper had been sleeping on her older sister’s couch. It was a 45-minute bike ride to school. Harper knew she couldn’t stay there forever.

    Weeks earlier—after years of trouble at home—Harper’s parents had kicked her out. The first night, Harper had started walking to a friend’s house but then stopped. She couldn’t bring herself to ask for help. “So I slept in a park,” recalls Harper, now 20. “It was very, very scary.”

    Many young people share Harper’s struggle. Approximately 700,000 Americans ages 13 to 17 are homeless and on their own each year.

    The problem affects young people in every state—and according to experts, it’s getting worse.

    Rising rent or other financial problems can cause families to become homeless. But why do teens end up homeless on their own?

    Conflict at home is the main reason. Teens may be running away from abuse or a parent’s drug or alcohol problem.

    The crisis affects teens differently. Black, Latine/Hispanic, and Indigenous youth are more likely to become homeless than White youth. LGBTQ+ youth are also more at risk than non-LGBTQ+ youth.

    Finding a safe place to stay can be hard. Jaden Noble knows what it’s like. She’s from Missouri.

    At 18, she was struggling with her mental health. She made some unhealthy choices. Her parents asked her to leave. She drifted between places for months. She nearly lost hope. “I didn’t know what my next move was,” she says.

    That stress is common. So is a fear of being judged. “There’s a lot of shame around homelessness,” says Harper.

    Many young people hide their situation. They go to school. They pretend everything is fine. But often, they are hungry and tired. They may struggle to focus. They usually don’t have a quiet place to study.

    These challenges take a toll. The teens are more likely than others to drop out of school. That can make it harder to find a job later.

    Rising rent and other financial difficulties often cause families to become homeless—but why do so many teenagers end up homeless on their own?

    Conflict at home is the primary reason. Many unhoused teenagers face abuse, while others are running away from a parent’s drug or alcohol problem. 

    The crisis doesn’t affect everyone equally. Black, Latine/Hispanic, and Indigenous youth are more likely to experience homelessness than White youth. LGBTQ+ youth are also at greater risk than non-LGBTQ+ young people.

    For teens who are homeless on their own, it can be difficult to find a safe place to stay. Jaden Noble of Missouri knows what that’s like.

    At 18, Jaden was struggling with her mental health and made some unhealthy decisions. After her parents asked her to leave the home, she drifted between places for months and nearly lost hope. “I didn’t know what my next move was,” she remembers.

    That stress is common, along with a fear of being judged. “There’s a lot of shame around homelessness,” says Harper.

    Many young people hide their situation. They go to school, pretending everything is fine. But it’s not easy. Unhoused teens are often hungry and tired, and they may struggle to focus. They usually don’t have a quiet place to study.

    Over time, these challenges take a toll. Unhoused students are much more likely to drop out of school than their classmates, which can make it harder to find employment later.

    So how can unhoused teens get help? It starts with asking for it.

    One place to do this is at school. By law, school districts must provide services for unhoused students. This includes transportation to the school they went to before becoming homeless.

    Youth shelters are another resource. Many provide emotional support. Staying at a shelter helped Jaden rebuild her life.

    But there aren’t enough youth shelters across the country. Many homeless teens struggle to find support.

    So how can unhoused teens get help? For many, finding support starts with asking for it.

    One place to do this is at school. The law requires school districts to provide special services for unhoused students, including transportation to the school they attended before becoming homeless.

    Youth shelters, another valuable resource, often provide the emotional support that teens need. Staying in one of these shelters helped Jaden rebuild her life.

    The problem is, there aren’t enough youth shelters across the country—so it’s still difficult for many homeless teens to find support.

    Harper and others are working to change that. No longer homeless, she has traveled to Washington, D.C., to share her story with government officials. 

    Harper is now a sophomore at a college in Utah. Her hard work earned her a scholarship.

    Looking back, she has one piece of advice for unhoused teens: Ask for help. 

    “Anyone can be homeless,” she says. But they don’t have to stay that way. 

    Harper and others want to change that. Harper has traveled to Washington, D.C., to share her story with government officials.

    Harper is no longer homeless. She goes to a college in Utah. She got a scholarship.

    She has one piece of advice for unhoused teens: Ask for help.

    “Anyone can be homeless,” she says. But they don’t have to stay that way. •

    Harper and others are working to change that. No longer homeless, Harper has traveled to Washington, D.C., to share her story with government officials.

    Harper is now a sophomore at a college in Utah. Her hard work earned her a scholarship.

    Reflecting on her own experience, she has one piece of advice for unhoused teens: Ask for help.

    “Anyone can be homeless,” she says—but they don’t have to stay that way.