The Runaway and Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act May Move Soon!

By MB -
Right now in the United States, homeless youth are at high risk of being victimized, exploited, or coerced into human trafficking. Many also find themselves involved in the juvenile justice and/or child welfare system. To stem the tide of abuse and victimization, The Runaway and Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act would help create appropriate, accessible trauma-informed services that can provide health, healing, and a safe haven for homeless children and teens.

Here in the Philadelphia region, runaway and homeless girls can get help right now through a number of organizations, including PathWays PA. Our Basic Center program provides residential facilities for five runaway/homeless girls between ages 13-17 and an after-school drop-in program for residents and non-residents. To learn more about the Basic Center Program, please contact the Basic Center at 215-397-4287.

From our friends at the National Network for Youth:
S. 2646, the Runaway and Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act (RHYTPA), has officially been listed to be marked up. This means that momentum to reauthorize the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA) is building and there is a serious chance that this bill could pass into law, but we need your help to make that happen.
Senate Champions, Senators Leahy (D-VT) and Collins (R-ME) need your help in getting more U.S. Senators to cosponsor RHYTPA before Thursday, September 18th.
Call Your Senators and Ask Them to Cosponsor S. 2646 to Reauthorize RHYA
  1. Take five minutes to call both of your Senators to ask them to cosponsor S. 2646, the Runaway and Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act (RHYTPA)- which reauthorizes the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act.
  2. Use this directory to find your Senators' phone numbers.
  3. When you call, ask to speak to the staff person who handles homeless youth issues.
  4. Tell the staff person why Runaway and Homeless Youth Act programs are critical to the communities and constituents in the Senator's state.
  5. Ask your Senators to cosponsor S. 2646- led by Senator Leahy (D-VT) and Senator Collins (R-ME).
  6. Get the staffer's email address so you can follow-up via email (draft email below).
Follow-Up Email
Dear ____________,
Thank you so much for speaking with me today. As I stated on the phone, Runaway and Homeless Youth Act Programs, which would be reauthorized by S. 2646 Runaway and Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act (RHYTPA), are critical to the youth and families in [insert state]. [INSERT PROGRAM INFORMATION].
Please support S. 2646. Emily Livingston is the contact in Senator Leahy’s office
(Emily_Livingston@judiciary-dem.senate.gov) and John Kane is the contact in Senator Collins’ office (John_Kane@aging.senate.gov).
Additional Resources

FACT SHEET
This Runaway and Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act, S. 2646 fact sheet summarizes the proposed key updates to the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA) and outlines how these programs save the federal government money. This fact sheet is an excellent resource for talking points for when you call.
BILL SUMMARY
This document is a two-page summary of the Runaway and Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act, S. 2646. This summary focuses on the updates to the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA), which was last reauthorized in 2008.

BILL TEXT
The bill text of the Runaway and Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act, S. 2646.
Interested in PathWays PA blog posts on similar topics?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Overlooked and Undercounted: Struggling to Make Ends Meet in Pennsylvania

By -
Image
Census data tells us that 13% of Pennsylvania households live in poverty. In reality, even more households don’t have the income they need to reach self-sufficiency. One in four Pennsylvania households – over 846,000 – lack enough income to cover just the necessities. Since 1997, PathWays PA has worked with Dr. Diana Pearce and the University of Washington to calculate  The Self-Sufficiency Standard for Pennsylvania . Over the last 23 years,  The Self-Sufficiency Standard of Pennsylvania  has documented the continuing increase in the real cost of living, illuminating the economic crunch experienced by so many families today. Since 2010, PathWays PA and the University of Washington have also issued three versions of the  Overlooked and Undercounted  report, which looks at the number of households living above and below self-sufficiency. You can now use the interactive materials below to find out what it takes to be self-sufficient in your county. Click here  to read the 2020 O
Read more

Mini-Budget Update-Supporting the American Community Survey

By MB -
Image
(via The Census Project ) Next Tuesday, June 19 is an important date to mark on your calendar. The Congressional Joint Economic Committee is holding a public hearing on the economic impact of eliminating the American Community Survey (ACS) at 2:30 p.m., in Room 210 of the Canon House Office Building. Witnesses that will be speaking in opposition to the move to eliminate the ACS are Vincent Barabba, former director of the Census Bureau in two GOP administrations and Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Association of General Contractors and also representing the National Association of Business Economists. It is very important that we pack the congressional hearing room! If you cannot come, please urge your colleages to come. If you represent a non-DC organization contact your friends in Washington and urge them to attend. Also on Tuesday of next week some of our congressional supporters will be holding a noon press conference in the so-called House Triangle right outside the Cap
Read more

Overlooked and Undercounted in the Media (#media)

By MB -
Image
Below are all of the places we've seen Overlooked and Undercounted in the month of May! If you know of anywhere else, please let us know! You can also listen to the audio from our May 11 Conference Call on our website . May 21, 2009 - New Report Says 1 in 5 PA Families Live in Poverty May 21, 2009 - LTE: Clarifying ‘Overlooked And Undercounted’ Study May 19, 2009 - Caught in a trap: State and federal governments must help working poor May 16, 2009 - Study: Local poverty estimates too conservative May 15, 2009 - Study: Pa. Families Above Poverty Level, But Still Struggling May 12, 2009 - Study: 1 in 5 PA Families Struggling to Make Ends Meet May 12, 2009 - Report: Many PA families struggling May 12, 2009 - PathWays PA Releases New Report on Self-Sufficiency Standard May 12, 2009 - Poverty worse in PA than reported: study May 11, 2009 - 1 in 5 PA Households Can't Make Ends Meet May 11, 2009 - Study: 1 in 5 PA residents can't make ends meet May 11, 2009 - 1 in
Read more