Youth homelessness has profound consequences reaching well beyond individual youth and their immediate families. Research suggests that as many as 1. 6 million young people are living unsupervised on the streets, in abandoned buildings, with friends or with strangers at some point during the year. When youth leave their homes, and enter the homeless population, they are in jeopardy of engaging in anti-social and risky behaviors, as well as becoming one of the most severely victimized groups in our society. Homeless youth are at a higher risk for physical abuse, sexual exploitation, mental health disabilities, substance abuse, and death.
It is estimated that 5,000 unaccompanied youth die each year because of assault, illness, or suicide. (McCann, 2016). Relatedly, families with children make up one third of the homeless population. It is estimated that 42% of homeless families have children younger than age 6. Homeless children are sick more often, are exposed to more violence, and experience more emotional and behavioral problems and more delayed development than lowincome housed children. Alarmingly, an increasing amount of research on the chronic homeless population notes a correspondence of homelessness experienced in youth to subsequent adult experience of homelessness. Paquette & Bassuk, 2009).
Summary and Synthesis of Literature The two principal causes of youth homelessness are 1) a breakdown in family relationships and 2) inadequate intervention from systems that are charged with protecting, nurturing and supervising youth when their families cannot. The primary reason youth consistently state for their homelessness is family conflict. The second leading cause of youth homelessness is correlated to the high proportion of homeless youth who have been in foster care.
Additionally, there is growing evidence suggesting that many homeless youths spent the night in juvenile detention (Bahr, 2013). Finding effective ways to address the causes of homelessness is critical in the campaign to prevent youth homelessness. To compile and synthesize the most current information on promising strategies to end youth homelessness, a review was conducted of the literature on youth homelessness that included studies, articles, reports and publications from academic researchers, government and youth serving agencies.
Understanding this population’s characteristics in the context of social theory can help to inform the development of effective policies and practices to address youth homelessness. Homeless youth are one of the most marginalized groups in our society. Between 2008 and 2011, the National Runaway Switchboard saw a 200 percent increase in calls from youth indicating economic reasons for running away from home. The Switchboard also reported an increase in the numbers of youth who were kicked out of their homes. A 2014 survey of school districts showed an increase in the number of homeless students.
It is important to note that precise numbers of homeless youth are difficult to determine due to lack of a standard methodology and mobility of the homeless population. (“Improving our national estimate of unaccompanied youth homelessness: The 2017 point-in-time count,” 2016) Many researchers identify much higher levels of various problem behaviors among these youths compared to their non-homeless peers. Although adolescent experimentation with alcohol and drugs is common, homeless, and runaway adolescents use substances earlier and more often than their non-runaway counterparts.
While definitions vary, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) defines homelessness as a situation in which a youth has no place of shelter and needs services and a shelter where he or she can receive supervision and care. ‘ (Secretary, 2015) Homelessness among youth can lead to an acceleration of several psychosocial problems including substance abuse, highrisk behavior such as survival sex, and other health problems. The National Institute of Health summary on this problem provides insight into the value of social capital in predicting problem behaviors among homeless youth.
Social capital is defined as those aspects of a social structure including the network of relationships among and between individuals, family members and the community that facilitate actions within the structure. It includes trust and mutual aid (the feeling that people can be relied upon you and the belief that help is available when needed) leading to progressive, productive action. (Bantchevska, Bartle-Haring, Dashora, Glebova, & Slesnick, 2008) Findings suggest that meaningful change should utilize interventions that go beyond the individual and are geared towards modifying the social context of individuals’ lives.
Review of Current Evidence Based Practices Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) is a nationally recognized, proven, and cost-effective solution to the needs of young people who are homeless, institutionalized, or at greatest risk of these conditions. The PSH approach integrates permanent, affordable rental housing with the best practice community-based supportive services needed to help those who are home access and maintain stable housing in the community.
The components of PSH that facilitate successful housing tenure include: 1) individually tailored toward youth and offer flexible supportive services that are voluntary, can be accessed 24 hours a day/7 days a week, and are not a condition of ongoing tenancy 2) agreements held by youth tenants without limits on length of stay 3) ongoing collaboration between service providers, property managers, and youths to preserve tenancy and resolve crisis situations that may arise.
The expansion of PSH using innovative systems-level approaches holds promise for expanding new integrated supportive housing opportunities for homeless youth across the country. Trauma-informed care is an evidence-based practice that teaches service providers and their organizations about the triggers and vulnerabilities of trauma survivors, and effective interventions. It involves understanding, anticipating, and responding to youth’s expectations and needs, and minimizing the chances of re-traumatization.
Given the likelihood of trauma among young people experiencing homelessness, understanding trauma and its impact is crucial to providing quality care. Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) is a model designed to provide comprehensive, community-based psychiatric treatment, rehabilitation, and support to youths with mental illness. ACT programs can support individuals by providing flexible services around the clock and reduces hospital stays and juvenile detention days.
Another evidence based practice used when working with homeless youth is Critical Time Intervention (CTI). CTI is a prevention model of time-limited case management focused on supporting youths with serious mental illnesses that are being discharged from institutional facilities. CTI programs are proven to be cost-effective in comparison to other case management models. Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) is a group intervention designed to help youths understand their personal wellness resources, and develop an action plan to utilize those tools on a daily basis.
Youths served by WRAP reduce their mental health symptoms and improve their overall behavioral, physical, and mental health. (“Coalition to end homelessness-evidence-based practices,” 2016) Conclusion A critical issue facing service providers attempting to mainstream this marginalized population is trust, or more specifically the development of social capital that enables trusting connections in participant/provider relationships. Homeless youth often remain homeless despite organizations and others who offer services.
Homeless youth often do not trust the motivations of these agencies, family members or outreach workers. At the same time, those who seek to reconnect homeless youth may lack trust in homeless youths’ motivations as well as lack the relevant information necessary to integrate them into their programs. Expanding long-term housing options and providing supportive services such as food, clothing and counseling are examples of approaches that can help homeless youth.
By creating housing programs that respond to the diverse needs of homeless youth, there would be a means to address those in group homes, residential treatment, host homes, shared homes, youth shelters, and community-based transitional living programs. It is also important to note that youth housing programs are more costeffective than alternative out-of-home placements such as juvenile corrections facilities, treatment centers or jail.
By fostering collaboration between programs and across agencies to ensure that young people’s needs are met, homeless youth will have access to services that will help them regain stability in their lives. If homeless youth are provided with access to educational outreach programs, job training and employment programs, transitional living programs, and services for mental health and life skills trainings, we can begin to ameliorate the nationwide problem of youth homelessness and lay groundwork for a better future for us all.