Wyoming Law Empowers Homeless Youth to Secure Housing and Jobs

The Unaccompanied Students Initiative offers homeless teens a safe home, life skills, and education support to help them build independent futures.

Apr. 7, 2026 at 10:04pm

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An extremely abstracted, out-of-focus photograph of a young person's hands holding a pen and notebook, surrounded by a warm, hazy glow of light, conceptually representing the quiet determination and potential of homeless youth striving for a better future.The Unaccompanied Students Initiative in Wyoming provides homeless youth the support and resources they need to build independent, successful lives.Cheyenne Today

The Unaccompanied Students Initiative (USI) is a program in Wyoming that helps homeless youth between the ages of 16-20 by providing them with a safe home, life skills training, and educational support to help them become independent and successful. The program is made possible by a unique Wyoming law that allows homeless 16-17 year-olds to enter into contracts with an affidavit signed by a qualified adult, which can be used to get medical care, rent an apartment, or replace a parent/guardian's signature.

Why it matters

Youth homelessness is an often overlooked issue, with many homeless teens "camouflaging" by couch surfing or living in cars. The USI program aims to address this problem by giving homeless youth the tools and support they need to build stable, independent lives. Wyoming's law enabling homeless minors to enter into contracts is seen as a potential model for other states to adopt.

The details

The USI program focuses first on education, then on teaching life skills and providing the resources homeless youth need to live independently. The program was previously available in Casper as well, but had to close that branch due to lack of funding. According to the organization's website, around 2% of Wyoming students are identified as homeless, and 81% of USI graduates have a full-time job, stable housing, and are enrolled in school full-time.

  • The USI program has been operating in Cheyenne and Laramie, Wyoming.
  • The Casper branch of USI had to close due to lack of funding.

The players

Julie Fogg

The network director for the Unaccompanied Students Initiative (USI).

Unaccompanied Students Initiative (USI)

A program in Wyoming that helps homeless youth between the ages of 16-20 by providing them with a safe home, life skills training, and educational support to help them become independent and successful.

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What they’re saying

“We focus on education first. The we focus on life skills and all of the tools that a young person would need to be independent and successful as they move into the next season of their life.”

— Julie Fogg, Network Director, Unaccompanied Students Initiative

“It's really easy for those people to camouflage by 'couch surfing' or living in a car or something similar.”

— Julie Fogg, Network Director, Unaccompanied Students Initiative

What’s next

The Unaccompanied Students Initiative plans to continue operating its programs in Cheyenne and Laramie, and may look to expand to other areas of Wyoming if additional funding becomes available.

The takeaway

The Unaccompanied Students Initiative in Wyoming provides a model for how states can empower homeless youth to secure housing, jobs, and education through specialized programs and supportive laws. This approach aims to address the often overlooked issue of youth homelessness and help these young people build stable, independent futures.