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Facts About Homeless Youth |
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Between 500,000 and 1.5 million children and youth in the United States run away from home each year. Of these youth, 21% are classified as homeless and 79% runaways.
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Approximately 3% of homeless youth are abandoned - youth who have been told to leave the house or prevented from returning home.
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The National Runaway Switchboard reports that 86% of callers are between 14-17 years of age, female (74%), male (26%).
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Of the callers to the national hotline, 35% have runaway before, 61% have been on the run for 7 days or less and 40% will cross state lines.
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Many youth are leaving homes affected by abuse, neglect, substance abuse, mental illness or other family problems.
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More than half (53%) of runaway and homeless youth in a National Association of Social Workers survey reported education or school problems, 45% had an absent father, 41% came from families with long-term economic problems, and 38% had at least one foster care placement.
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A recent study found that 46% of runaway and homeless youth had been physically abused and 17% had been forced into unwanted sexual activity by a family or household member.
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Runaway and homeless youth are more likely to engage in survival sex, have multiple partners and unprotected sex, and are at increased risk for HIV infection.
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Homeless youth often suffer from poor hygiene, lack of sleep, high exposure to violence and a variety of medical problems including injuries, malnutrition and skin infections.
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Homeless youth suffer from a high rate of psychological disorders, including major depression, conduct disorder and post-traumatic stress syndrome.
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Homeless youth encounter many difficulties attending school that include legal guardianship requirements, residency requirements, lack of proper records and inadequate or nonexistent transportation.
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Roughly one-fifth of youth admitted to shelters reported physical abuse, one-fourth reported emotional abuse, and one-fourth to one-third reported neglect.
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Fifty-two percent of shelter youth and 48% of street youth were raised in single parent homes.
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In a recent study, 26% percent of shelter youth and 32% of street youth reported that they had attempted suicide at least once.
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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.
Sources
Homeless Youth Report 2000. (n.d.) Arizona Department of Economic Security, Community Services Administration. Retrieved on August 9, 2001, from http://www.de.state.az.us/links/csa_web/pdf/CSA-HY-2000.pdf
Youth With Runaway, Throwaway, and Homeless Experiences... Prevalence,
Drug Use, and Other At-Risk Behaviors. (October 1995) National
Clearinghouse on Families & Youth. Retrieved on August 9, 2001, from http://www.ncfy.com/chapt2_youth_run.htm
