Placement Laws
Laws allowing unaccompanied homeless minors to consent for housing and shelter services.
Homeless youth are unable to seek services because they would need parental consent and/or the involvement of the child welfare system to actually get these services in Kentucky. Many states have enacted legislation to allow unaccompanied homeless youth under 18 to obtain shelter and housing without parental consent. Kentucky is one of the states that does not allow the previously stated.
Laws empowering unaccompanied minors to consent for routine medical care.
Normally, people the age of 18 and older are able to consent to their own routine medical and dental care. In the case of homeless youth, its more than likely that they do not have a legal guardian or parent. That makes it harder for the homeless youth to stay healthy and to attend school. Kentucky has laws that empower unaccompanied minors to consent for routine medical care.
Laws that mitigate the effects of mobility to help students experiencing homelessness graduate from high school.
Youth without a high school diploma or a GED are 346% more likely to experience homelessness as young adults. This is why it is important to help youth get their high school diploma or their GED. With the challenges of homelessness and mobility, it makes it harder for students to graduate high school. A young person that experiences homelessness is 87% more likely to stop going to schools. Homelessness is the highest risk factor when it comes to dropout rates. Kentucky does not have a law that mitigate the effects of mobility to help students experiencing homelessness graduate from high school.