Youth homelessness

Youth homelessness is the problem of homelessness of young people around the globe.

Overview

Youth homelessness is a significant social issue globally, both in developing countries and many developed countries. In developing countries, research and prevention has mostly focused on "street children", while in developed countries, central concerns in the research and prevention of youth homelessness include breakdown in family relationships and other causes that lead to young people leaving home.^[1] The term "street children" also includes street workers who are not actually homeless.^[2]

The exact definition of youth homelessness varies by region. In the United States, a homeless youth is someone who is under the age of 21 and is unable to safely live with a relative, and has no other safe alternative living arrangement.^[3] In Australia, there are three categories of homelessness which include those who live from one emergency shelter to another (in homeless shelters or 'couch surfing' at friends' homes) as well as those living in accommodation that falls below minimum community standards (boarding houses and caravan parks).^[4]

Homeless people, and homeless organizations, are sometimes accused or convicted of fraudulent behavior. Criminals are also known to exploit homeless people, ranging from identity theft to tax and welfare scams.^[5]^[6]^[7] These incidents often lead to negative connotations about homeless youth.^[8]^[9]

Australia

Youth homelessness in Australia is a significant social issue,^[10] affecting tens of thousands of young people. In 2006, the Australian government estimate, focusing on homeless school children, found some 20,000 homeless youth between the ages of 12 and 18.^[11] Another estimate found approximately 44,000 homeless Australians under the age of 25.^[12]

Activists maintain that the majority of young people leave home because of family breakdown, often caused by domestic violence and abuse.^[13] Swinburne University researchers found that over $600 million is spent each year on health and justice services for homeless youth.^[14]

Researchers have studied the prevalence of psychological distress and mental illness among homeless youth in Australia.^[15]

Some experts argue that early intervention services are an effective way to curb youth homelessness.^[16] Other researchers have examined the potential solution of youth foyers.^[17]

Canada

In Canada, youth homelessness is recognized as a significant social issue, however, no nationwide strategy or study has been conducted.^[18]

Some researchers focus on the effects of homelessness on young LGBT Canadians.^[19] Others focus on various factors of physical and mental health among Canada's homeless youth.^[20]^[21]

United States

In the United States, homeless youth are a varied group.^[22] Some researchers maintain that around two million young people in America are homeless.^[23]According to the National Conference of State Legislature, roughly 41,000 kids and young adults within the ages of 13-25 experience homelessness every night. Almost all of which have reported suffering from at least one of the following; substance misuse problems, mental health problems, foster care, juvenile jail or detention, and physical harm. Many of these individuals have experienced extreme trauma and despair either before or after becoming homeless.

Looking through a demographic lens, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth have more than two times the risk of being homeless than a heterosexual. This can be a result from family problems along with not being accepted by parents or guardians. Females in particular are more likely to “run away” from home resulting in no shelter.^[24]

Many actions can be taken to help solve these homeless individuals in the United States. One factor that could make a positive change is re-establishing family relationships. This being the main starting point for homelessness, emphasizing the importance of loved ones can make all the difference. Another more direct action is improving the crisis response regarding these youth and young adults. Whether it’s state-related, or even larger organizations, more plans and evaluations need to be made.^[25]

Health risks

Youth homelessness is often accompanied by high-risk behaviors like sex without a condom and drug use. This happens at a much higher rate than young people who have a stable living situation.^[26] Even though the risk of infection is much higher for homeless young people, studies have found that only 46% had been tested recently, suggesting that homeless youth are not any more likely to get tested for sexually transmitted infections (STI) than their peers.^[27] A history of neglect and abuse is common for youth who become homeless, so they often have a deep distrust of adults and other authority figures. Adults wanting to help these vulnerable young people will need to prove themselves to be trustworthy if they want to maintain any sort of lasting connection with them. Effective connections have been formed through offering free STI testing. While outreach for interviews saw a retention rate of less than 40%,^[28] similar studies offering free STI testing saw return visits as high as 98%.^[29] Readily available comprehensive healthcare will help address STI infection rates, and problems of social isolation for this population.

Policy

Homeless youth experiences

Research in policies intended to aid homeless youth often take qualitative approaches where the needs of homeless youth and the efficacy of provided services are assessed. A study of youth experiencing homelessness (YEH) in San Francisco, California, compiled data on YEH experiences and recommendations for policy changes.^[30] A total of 45 interviews were conducted with YEH, ranging from 15 to 24 years of age, who experienced at least one night of homelessness six months prior to being interviewed. During the interviews, YEH described having trouble accessing basic resource accommodations, housing, trauma therapy, ADA accommodations, and educational resources. When the study was conducted, many of the resources YEH had trouble accessing were provided by various agencies in the area. The caveat being not all resource accommodations were provided by one agency, rather, YEH were required to travel from agency to agency across the San Francisco area to have their needs met. Accordingly, YEH recommended that an agency provide exhaust services at expanded hours of operation. YEH also described negative interactions with service providers and recommended that workers receive trauma-informed service training; many homeless youths have experienced histories of hardship and trauma, thus it is important to look at how past experiences might have led to homelessness.

Transition-aged youth, ages 16 to 25, who misuse substances often experience extreme hardship in the time leading up to homelessness.^[31] Factors contributing to youth homelessness include adverse life events, out-of-home placement, incarceration, childhood trauma, physical abuse, sexual abuse, sexual assault, and death of a parent. A study found the service needs of transition-aged youth engaged in substance misuse not satisfied.^[32] Stakeholders described long waiting lists for housing and trouble finding employment. Many homeless youths are mentally and physically unstable. For example, one stakeholder described the difficulty getting patients who self-medicate clinical help and treatment for psychosis. Clinics often refuse services to self-medicating users out of fear of miss prescribing substance related issues. Mental disorders found to be most prevalent were depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and psychotic disorders. The stigma youth hold of behavioral health services makes it difficult to provide aid; it is often the case that youth in need of behavioral health services do not seek help.

Prevention strategies

The New Opportunities Prevention Strategy is a national strategy to prevent youth homelessness developed by researchers at Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago.^[33] The research group there has developed a protocol for addressing youth homelessness with four levels of prevention categorized by effectiveness and ease of implementation. Their findings show that the most effective way to aid youth homelessness is to introduce policies that intervene in the lives of youth prior to them becoming homeless. They argue that preventing unequal risk is the most effective and easiest prevention strategy to implement. This includes providing housing availability, direct cash transfers, and increasing access to quality resources and support. The group proposes policy actions for greater investment from all levels of government in housing supply and increasing low-income housing tax credit. Preventing recurrence is the most difficult prevention strategy to implement.

The Pathways to Success Model Intervention was developed to aid youth exiting foster care and prevent homelessness.^[34] Pathways was implemented in three counties in Colorado, to reach a large demographic, one urban, one suburban, and one rural were selected. The methodology of Pathways is built on the idea of a navigator-youth relationship. The navigator is a service provider who provides coach-like engagement to develop a positive relationship with the youth, originating from Co-Active Life Coaching (CALC) theory. The relationship between the Navigator and youth is shaped by four core principles:

1. The assertation that people are inherently resourceful and capable of making choices, taking action, and learning.

2. A focus on the youth as a whole person rather than a problem to solve.

3. To stay present in the moment.

4. To maintain a vision of the possibility of transformation.^[35]

Youth between the ages of 14 and 21 with child welfare experience and additional risk factors for homelessness qualified to be participants; participants were enrolled into the Pathways program between July 2016 and September 2019. By analyzing pre and post intervention surveys it was concluded that 40% of all post-test respondents secured housing; youth reporting as homeless dropped from 37% (pre-test) to 10% (post-test). Employment and finance metrics were tracked. From pre-test to post-test the average monthly income increased from 627.00 USD to 1,052.00 USD. Part-time employment increased by 4% and full-time employment increased by 10%. Findings indicate that youth-driven, coach-like engagement is effective in reducing homelessness for youth coming out of the foster care system.

Developing effective policies that address youth homeless seems to be better done when policymakers consider feedback from youth experiencing homelessness.

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