The National Association of Counties has appointed 22 county elected and appointed officials to a new Youth Housing and Homelessness Task Force.
The panel will study how counties help young people who lack stable housing and how that work can grow through local government, public-private partnerships and other agencies. NACo said more than 4.2 million young people and young adults experience homelessness in the United States each year, including 1 in 30 youth ages 13 to 17.
Counties run many of the systems those young people already touch: child welfare, juvenile justice, behavioral health, workforce programs, emergency response and community services. The association argued that moments such as leaving foster care are when counties can pull those pieces together so a young person does not lose housing.
“During my decades of public service, I have seen firsthand the multifaceted evolving challenges facing our youth,” said NACo President George Dunlap. “What I have learned over the years in my engagement with NACo and our members is that the challenges that communities face, when it comes to providing our youth with real opportunities, are not limited to Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. Through this task force, we will have a unique chance to diagnose emerging concerns and align proven strategies, especially as it pertains to addressing youth housing instability and homelessness. I know our greatest resource in this work will be each other.”
The task force will meet from October 2026 through July 2027. Members are expected to map the problem, flag county programs that appear to work and write guidance other counties can use. Officials, researchers, philanthropies and community groups who are not on the panel can join as Friends of the Task Force through NACo.
The announcement creates a study group, not a new federal program or funding stream. Any change in local practice will depend on what the 22 members publish next summer and on whether other counties adopt it.
