ChangeMakers
Be Part of the Solution
What is a ChangeMaker?
ChangeMakers are powerful advocates in the fight to address youth and young adult homelessness.
The issue of homelessness is larger than individual young people without a safe place to stay. It is a systemic problem, one with far-reaching implications for the future of our community. ChangeMakers are ready to be part of bold solutions to ensure a future where no young person worries about where they will sleep at night. Click on the button below to get started.
2024 ChangeMakers Advocacy Schedule
April/May: Introduce yourself to elected officials
Before May 15: 2025 City of Milwaukee budget request
Before August 15: 2025 Milwaukee County budget request
November: (Tentative) Ask state legislators and the Governor to oppose legislation criminalizing homelessness (Assembly Bill 689/Senate Bill 669)
Thank you for raising your hand and using your voice. Thank you for being a ChangeMaker.
Interested in Becoming a ChangeMaker?
Fill out the form below and we will be in touch.
Getting Started as a ChangeMaker
Learn more about youth and young adult homelessness and how you can make a difference by reaching out to your legislators.
About Youth & Young Adult Homelessness
12,000
In Milwaukee County, an estimated nearly 12,000 youth and young adults aged 10-24 experience homelessness annually. This includes sleeping on the street, in a shelter, couch surfing and leaving unsafe homes.
5.3%
of Milwaukee Public Schools students experienced homelessness during the 2021-2022 school year.
Contributing Factors
- Homelessness disproportionally impacts youth and young adults with marginalized identities: LGBTQ+; Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC); those living in poverty and those with disabilities.
- Nearly 1/3 of youth experiencing homelessness have had experience with foster care.
- Milwaukee ranks #2 on a list of metro areas (with a population greater than one million) for the fastest-rising rents in the country.
Effects
- Experiencing homelessness as a young person is highly correlated with lifelong housing instability.
- 1 in 5 homeless young women and 1 in 10 homeless young men surveyed had been trafficked for sex, with even higher rates among LGBTQ+ youth.
- Youth who run away or experience homelessness have higher rates of mental health challenges and alcohol and drug use than their stably housed peers.