Here's why:
* Gerund phrases always act as nouns. They can be the subject, object, or complement of a sentence. For example: "Hiking in the mountains is my favorite activity."
* Present participle phrases act as adjectives. They describe the noun they are next to. In your example, "going home" describes "you".
Here's the breakdown of your sentence:
* You (pronoun, subject)
* are going home (present participle phrase, adjective modifying "you")
Let me know if you have any other grammar questions!