This commitment articulates how Funders Together to End Homelessness has and will use a racial equity lens to support our members and the philanthropic sector to shift its practice, policy and grantmaking actions and how we will foster greater diversity, equity, and inclusion[1] within FTEH as an organization. We encourage this document and its language to be a template or guide for funders to use in their own statements and work around addressing racial inequities in housing and homelessness.

[1] For readers who are new to these terms, as well as other equitable language used throughout this document, we have provided a helpful Glossary here.

View our Commitment to Racial Equity here or click on any of the section headers below to see the components of our commitment.

To learn more about our journey to this Commitment and what this means for our organization, members, and the field moving forward, read this blog post by past and current board chairs, Bill Pitkin, Janice Elliott, and Katie Hong, who were all instrumental in pushing and designing it.

Missed Opportunities: National Estimates highlights results from a national survey on unaccompanied youth homelessness in America. The study captures youth homelessness broadly, including sleeping on the streets, in shelters, running away, being kicked out, and couch surfing. Overall, findings show one in 10 young adults ages 18-25, and at least one in 30 adolescents ages 13-17, experience some form of homelessness unaccompanied by a parent or guardian over the course of a year. As a nation, we are missing opportunities to ensure that all young people can reach their full potential and contribute to stronger communities and economies across the country.

Read the full report here.

Source: Voices of Youth Count