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The deepest definition of youth is life as yet untouched by tragedy.
Alfred North Whitehead (1861 - 1947)
Getting a handle on youth homelessness is one of the most difficult tasks we, as service providers, planners and advocates face. A 1995 Institute for Health Policy Studies report on homeless youth estimates that there are 300,000 homeless youth living on the streets of the United States at any point in time. Annual estimates range from 1.3 million to 2.8 million. Over 60 percent of homeless youth report physical and sexual abuse by a parent, and 20 percent have experienced violence by another family member.
Numerous studies have been done on the correlation of foster care and homelessness. Many youth “age out” of foster care or run away from a placement and have no where to go but on the street or become “couch surfers.” Other youth are forced out of the home because of the family’s economic problems, the youth’s sexual orientation or the youth’s behavior problems. Usually, these youth lack the needed education, skills and job experience necessary for employment and are all too often forced to engage in “survival sex” for shelter, food or transportation. Because of the concomitant lack of health care, education and survival skills, youth are more at risk for pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV.
“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, Marjorie. Homeless Youth on Their Own, 1996). Over the long term, programs that help alleviate homelessness and poverty among the general homeless population will also benefit homeless youth, but the immediate needs of age-appropriate shelter, educational outreach and physical/mental health care are necessary to engage youth in services and help them along on the journey from homelessness to permanency
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