​​​Performance Breakdown

• Law & Policy: 51% of metrics met
   

  • Laws authorizing comprehensive supports and services for youth experiencing homelessness: 50% of metrics met 
     

  • Preventing youth experiencing homelessness from coming into contact with the criminal and juvenile justice systems: 33% of metrics met 
     

  • Providing unaccompanied youth experiencing homelessness the opportunity to seek legal independence and live independently: 75% of metrics met
     

  • Addressing the educational needs of youth experiencing homelessness: 83% of metrics met 
     

  • Allowing youth experiencing homelessness to access critical supports and services: 50% of metrics met 
     

• Systems: 39% of metrics met 
   

• Environment: 35% of metrics met

State Score 2022: 46
State Ranking 2022: 43

2022 Score

2021 Score

52

46

Ohio Highlights

Some areas where Ohio has moved the needle relative to other states include providing youth the opportunity to seek legal independence and maintaining a multisector approach to ending homelessness.

Law & Policy

• The state allows youth in foster care to access extended foster care services to age 21 under certain circumstances and allows youth who have exited the foster care system after 18 to re-enter through the age of 21.

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• State law provides youth experiencing homelessness some contract rights.

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• The state allows youth to earn partial or alternative school credit.

Systems​​

• There is a current state plan to end homelessness.

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• The state provides tuition waivers for foster youth.

Environment

• The state promotes safe and inclusive environments in child welfare and juvenile justice programs by providing protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

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• The state maintains a community advisory board for youth that informs youth homelessness policy.

Recommendations for Improvement

There is room for improvement throughout the metrics for the Buckeye State, with emphasis on the Law & Policy and Environment categories. Laws authorizing comprehensive supports and services for youth experiencing homelessness, and protecting the rights and interests of youth experiencing homelessness, including LGBTQ youth, should be prioritized.

Law & Policy

• Enact and fund a state law similar to the federal RHYA to provide key intervention and emergency services for youth experiencing homelessness.

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• Enact a law or regulation to allow shelters to take in youth experiencing homelessness with a delay or waiver of notification requirements.

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• The state should explicitly allow unaccompanied youth under 18 to apply for health insurance coverage without parental consent.

Systems

• The state should create and adopt a public plan to end homelessness that includes LGBTQ+ youth).

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• Create a state entity – such as an Office of Homeless Youth Services – that focuses solely on designing, implementing, and evaluating youth homelessness programs.

Environment

• Require training about sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, healthy sexual development, or issues specific to LGBTQ youth for staff working in runaway and homeless youth systems.

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• Promote safe and inclusive environments in runaway and homeless youth programs by providing protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

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• Ban harmful and ineffective service provision that includes conversion therapy.