Youth mental health has been declared a public health emergency in New York State and New York City, reflecting increasing rates of depression, anxiety, suicidality, and substance use among adolescents and young adults (AYAs).1 Within this broader crisis, youth homelessness is linked to comorbid mental health and substance use disorders (MH–SUD) that remain poorly served by fragmented systems of care.2–4 We argue that homelessness functions as a structural risk amplifier for MH–SUD among AYAs and that addressing youth mental health requires stronger integration across federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), shelters, schools, and crisis-response systems.
Kumar et al. (Fri,) studied this question.