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Homeless Youth
This fact sheet discusses the dimensions, causes, and consequences of
homelessness among youth. An overview of program and policy issues and
a list of resources for further study are also provided.
DEFINITIONS AND DIMENSIONS
Homeless youth are individuals under the age of eighteen who lack parental,
foster, or institutional care. These young people are sometimes referred
to as "unaccompanied" youth.
The
homeless youth population is estimated to be approximately 300,000 young
people each year (Institute for Health Policy Studies, 1995). According
to the Research Triangle Institute, an estimated 2.8 million youth living
in U.S. households reported a runaway experience during the prior year
(U.S. Department of Health and Human Services(a), 1995). According to
the U.S. Conference of Mayors, unaccompanied youth account for 3% of the
urban homeless population (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 1998).
CAUSES
Causes of homelessness among youth fall into three inter-related categories:
family problems, economic problems, and residential instability.
Many
homeless youth leave home after years of physical and sexual abuse, strained
relationships, addiction of a family mem and parental neglect. Disruptive
family conditions are the principal reason that young people leave home:
in one study, more than half of the youth interviewed during shelter stays
reported that their parents either told them to leave or knew they were
leaving and did not care (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
(a), 1995). In another study, 46% of runaway and homeless youth had been
physically abused and 17% had been forced into unwanted sexual activity
by a family or household mem(U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
(c), 1997).
Some
youth may become homeless when their families suffer financial crises
resulting from lack of affordable housing, limited employment opportunities,
insufficient wages, no medical insurance, or inadequate welfare benefits.
These youth become homeless with their families, but are later separated
from them by shelter, transitional housing, or child welfare policies
(Shinn and Weitzman, 1996).
Residential
instability also contributes to homelessness among youth. A history of
foster care has been found to be correlated with becoming homeless at
an earlier age and remaining homeless for a longer period of time (Roman
and Wolfe, 1995). Some youth living in residential or institutional placements
become homeless upon discharge -- they are too old for foster care but
are discharged with no housing or income support (Robertson, 1996). One
national study reported that more than one in five youth who arrived at
shelters came directly from foster care, and that more than one in four
had been in foster care in the previous year (National Association of
Social Workers, 1992).
CONSEQUENCES
Homeless youth face many challenges on the streets. Few homeless youth
are housed in emergency shelters as a result of lack of shelter beds for
youth, shelter admission policies, and a preference for greater autonomy
(Robertson, 1996). Because of their age, homeless youth have few legal
means by which they can earn enough money to meet basic needs. Many homeless
adolescents find that exchanging sex for food, clothing, and shelter is
their only chance of survival on the streets. In turn, homeless youth
are at a greater risk of contracting AIDS or HIV-related illnesses. HIV
prevalence studies anonymously performed in four cities found a median
HIV-positive rate of 2.3% for homeless persons under age 25 (Robertson,
1996). Other studies have found rates ranging from 5.3% in New York to
12.9% in Houston. It has been suggested that the rate of HIV prevalence
for homeless youth may be as much as 2 to 10 times higher than the rates
reported for other samples of adolescents in the United States (National
Network for Youth, 1998).
Homeless
adolescents often suffer from severe anxiety and depression, poor health
and nutrition, and low self-esteem. In one study, the rates of major depression,
conduct disorder, and post-traumatic stress syndrome were found to be
3 times as high among runaway youth as among youth who have not run away
(Robertson, 1989).
Furthermore,
homeless youth face difficulties attending school because of legal guardianship
requirements, residency requirements, proper records, and lack of transportation.
As a result, homeless youth face severe challenges in obtaining an education
and supporting themselves emotionally and financially.
PROGRAM AND POLICY ISSUES
Homeless youth benefit from programs which meet immediate needs first,
then help them address other aspects of their lives. Programs which minimize
institutional demands and offer a range of services have had success in
helping homeless youth regain stability (Robertson, 1996). Educational
outreach programs, assistance in locating job training and employment,
transitional living programs, and health care especially designed for
and directed at homeless youth are also needed. In the long term, homeless
youth would benefit from many of the same measures that are needed to
fight poverty and homelessness in the adult population, including the
provision of affordable housing and employment that pays a living wage.
In addition to these basic supports, the child welfare system must make
every effort to prevent children from ending up on the streets.
RESOURCES
Cwayna, Kevin. Knowing Where the Fountains Are: Stories and Stark Realities
of Homeless Youth, 1993. Available for $5.00 from Fairview Press, 2450
Riverside Ave., South, Minneapolis, MN 55454; 800/544-8207.
Institute
for Health Policy Studies. Street Youth at Risk for AIDS. 1995. University
of California, San Francisco.
Jarvis,
Sara and Robert Robertson. Transitional Living Programs for Homeless Adolescents,
1993. Available for $7.00 from National Technical Assistance Center for
Children's Mental Health, Georgetown University Child Development Center,
3307 M St., NW, Suite 401, Washington, DC 20007-8803; 202/687-8635.
National
Association of Social Workers. Helping Vulnerable Youths: Runaway and
Homeless Adolescents in the United States, 1992. Available for $23.95
from the National Association of Social Workers, 750 First Street, NE,
Suite 700, Washington DC 20002-4241; 202/408-8600.
National
Network for Youth. Toolkit for Youth Workers: Fact Sheet. Runaway and
Homeless Youth. 1998. Available from the National Network for Youth, 1319
F St., Suite 401, Washington, DC 20004; 202/783-7949.
Pires,
Sheila A. and Judith Tolmach Silber. On Their Own: Runaway and Homeless
Youth and the Programs That Serve Them, 1991. Available for $7.00 from
the National Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health,
Georgetown University Child Development Center, 3307 M St., NW, Suite
401, Washington, DC 20007-8803; 202/687 8635.
Robertson, Marjorie. Homeless Youth on Their Own, 1996. Alcohol Research
Group, 2000 Hearst Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94709; 510-642-5208. Available
from author.
Robertson, Marjorie. Homeless Youth in Hollywood: Patterns of Alcohol
Use, 1989. Alcohol Research Group, 2000 Hearst Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94709;
510-642-5208. Available from author.
Roman, Nan P. and Phyllis B. Wolfe. Web of Failure: The Relationship Between
Foster Care and Homelessness, 1995. Available for $8.00 from the National
Alliance to End Homelessness, 1518 K St., NW, Suite 206, Washington, DC
20005-1203; 202/638-1526.
Shinn, Marybeth and Beth Weitzman. "Homeless Families Are Different,"
in Homelessness in America, 1996. Available for $43.50 from the National
Coalition for the Homeless, 1012 14th Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington,
DC 20005; 202/737-6444, email: nch@ari.net.
U.S. Conference of Mayors. A Status Report on Hunger and Homelessness
in America's Cities: 1998. Available for $15.00 from the U.S. Conference
of Mayors, 1620 Eye St., NW, 4th Floor, Washington, DC, 20006-4005, 202/293-7330.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services(a). Youth with Runaway, Throwaway,
and Homeless Experiences... Prevalence Drug Use, and Other At-Risk Behaviors,
1995. Volume I (the Final Report, including the executive summary) is
available for $48.15; the Executive Summary alone is available for $3.15.
Order from the National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth, P. O. Box
13505, Silver Spring, MD 20911-3505; 301-608-8098.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services(b). Report to the Congress
on the Runaway and Homeless Youth Program of the Family and Youth Services
Bureau for Fiscal Year 1995, 1996. Available for $3.15 from the National
Clearinghouse on Families & Youth, P. O. Box 13505, Silver Spring,
MD 20911-3505; 301-608-8098.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (c). National Evaluation
of Runaway and Homeless Youth, 1997. Available from the National Clearinghouse
on Families & Youth, P. O. Box 13505, Silver Spring, MD 20911-3505;
301-608-8098.
Zangrillo, Patricia and Monique Mercer. Housing and Foster Care: Results
of a National Survey, 1995. Available for $10.00 from the American Public
Welfare Association, 810 First St., NE, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20002-4205;
202/682-0100.
*** National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth, P. O. Box 13505, Silver
Spring, MD 20911 3505; 301-608-8098.
National Network for Youth, 1319 F St., Suite 401, Washington, DC 20004;
202/783-7949.
Last
updated - April 1999 - National Coalition for the Homeless
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