Vicki Sokolik

Vicki Sokolik is the author of "If You See Them: Young, Unhoused, and Alone in America" and the founder and CEO of Starting Right, Now, a Florida nonprofit supporting unaccompanied youth experiencing homelessness. For nearly two decades, she has worked directly with young people navigating homelessness without the support of a parent or guardian, helping them access housing, education, and opportunities for independence.

A nationally recognized advocate for unaccompanied youth, Sokolik has helped author and amend legislation resulting in ten Florida laws protecting vulnerable young people. She was named a CNN Hero in 2019 and an AARP Purpose Prize Fellow, and her writing on youth homelessness and child welfare has appeared in The Hill and The Imprint.

In "If You See Them," Sokolik draws on her firsthand experience to illuminate the lives of young people whose homelessness often goes unrecognized, challenging assumptions about who experiences homelessness and what it takes to build a stable, independent future.