Homelessness is a living condition in which children and youth as individuals lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. The McKinney–Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. §11434a) identifies homeless children and youth as those who

• share the housing of other persons due to the loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason;
• are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations;
• are living in emergency or transitional shelters;
• are abandoned in hospitals;
• are awaiting foster care placement;
• have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings;
• are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; ...