Keanu Yamanaka

Location: California

Keanu Yamanaka is a fierce activist for young people surviving youth homelessness, foster care, and the juvenile justice system. Yamanaka’s advocacy work extends to multiple publications including the YAAH Guidelines, a 205-page document to prevent, address, and end youth homelessness. Additionally, Yamanaka has collaborated with the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (CAL ICH) providing statewide recommendations for the creation of the first standardized measures for unhoused youth and tailored his advocacy to the specific needs of survivors of Domestic Violence. Yamanaka believes treating people with dignity is the most crucial action that you can provide toward young people and survivors.

At the Federal Level, Yamanaka has represented California with a delegation to the offices of Senator Padilla and Senator Butler as an unwavering advocate for the reauthorization of the Runaway and Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act (RHYTPA), expansion of HUD’s federal definition of homelessness, and unhoused youth to access to affordable housing while enrolled in community colleges.

At the State Level, Yamanaka received full funding to travel to the capital of California for the California Coalition for Youth’s Youth Empowerment Summit. Here, Yamanaka advocated for $200 million for Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding and homelessness policy reform with CCY & partners by meeting with more than half of California’s legislative branch.

Keanu Yamanaka is currently pursuing a bachelor degree of Political Science at Grinnell College.