What
is Homelessness?
National Level
National Homeless Youth
Educational
Implications
General Homelessness
Context
Demographics of Homeless Youth
What
is Homelessness?
Homeless youth are individuals under the
age of 21 who lack parental, foster, or institutional care. The
term homeless youth is an all-encompassing term that includes:
unaccompanied youth, runaways, throwaways, street youth, and
systems youth.Based on the McKinney-Vento Homelessness Assistance Act: a homeless person:
Lacks a fixed, regular place to stay;
Does not have adequate night-time residence;
Resides in a shelter, welfare hotel, transitional living program or place not ordinarily used as regular sleeping accommodations; and/or,
Shares residence with other persons due to loss of housing or economic hardship1
Homeless youth are individuals under the age of 21 who lack parental, foster, or institutional care. The term homeless youth is an all-encompassing term that includes: unaccompanied youth, runaways, throwaways, street youth, and systems youth.
Accompanied Youth: refers to youth under the age 18 with a guardian or individuals under 21 who are married or in a committed relationship.
Unaccompanied Youth: refers to “young people under the age of 18, who are living apart from their parents or legal guardians in unstable or inadequate living situations.” 2
Throwaway Youth: are young persons who are asked to leave home by a parent or other adult in the household and are away overnight or leave home and prevented from returning home. 3
Street Youth: refers to those who reside in high-risk, nontraditional locations, such as under bridges or in abandoned buildings, and are generally disconnected from services for homeless youth.
Systems Youth: are generally considered to be those who have been involved in government systems, such as juvenile justice and foster care, due to abuse, neglect, incarceration, or family homelessness.
National Level
The significance of homelessness has pushed the issue onto the national agenda. Increased economic pressures have resulted in a surge in the number of homeless persons and a change in the demographics. Currently in the United States:
3.5 million people will experience homelessness over the course a year. 4
nearly half of the homeless population is part of a family seeking shelter. 5
20-30% of homeless individuals reside in shelters with the remaining persons seeking alternative refuge including sharing homes with other families, staying in abandoned buildings or sleeping on the streets. 6
5.2 million households are in need of affordable housing units. 7
between 42% and 77% of homeless individuals do not take advantage of the services available to them. 8
National Homeless Youth
The extent of homelessness among youth has continued to increase.
A conservative estimate of homeless youth is 1 out of every 20 persons under 18 will experience homelessness at some point in their lives. 9
Nationwide, 1.5 million youth experience homelessness over the course of a year. 10
Emancipated foster youth are over represented among homeless individuals. 11
Youth that return to their parent’s home experience more positive outcomes as compared to those who choose independent living, an alternative guardian or staying on the streets. 12
Youth on the streets have not learned the necessary skills to be self-sufficient because it is their first experience of independence. 13
Many homeless youth left a household due to neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, or emotional abuse. Previous victimization is correlated with victimization on the streets and increased antisocial behavior, which decreases the likelihood of individuals utilizing public services. 14,15,16,17
Homeless youth face many barriers that impede their ability to transition successfully to adulthood. These issues include:
Increased rates of pregnancy for youth on the street (48%) and in shelters (33%) than those residing in a household (less than 10%).18
Using alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs at significantly higher rates than housed youth, with young people living on the streets being more likely to use substances than shelter youth. 19,20
High rates of depression among female youth. 21
Engaging in sexual activity in return for food or shelter has been employed by 28% of street and 10% of shelter youth. 22
One third of males and half of females who are sexually active have engaged in sex without a barrier. 23
Three quarters of homeless youth have had suicidal ideation. 24
Educational Implications
The lack of consistent and safe housing has significant impacts on a young person’s ability to be successful in school.
Sporadic school attendance limits exposure to positive peer role models. 25
Schools provide stability for homeless youth. 26
Remaining in the same community and school improves academic prospects for homeless youth. 27
Within the month prior to becoming homeless, over 50% of youth had been expelled or suspended from school. 28
Homeless youth are more likely to score below grade level, repeat grades, have poor attendance and experience discontinued services as compared to their housed peers. 29,30
Limited educational attainment prevents homeless youth from securing long-term and sustainable employment. 31
Of the individuals identified as homeless, 2% have a college degree, 22% have some college, 38% have a high school degree or GED, and 39% have not completed high school. 32
Homeless youth are less like to return to their parent’s home if they experience difficulties in school or are expelled. 33
General Homelessness Context
Los Angeles County has a homeless problem that is larger than most states in America.
On any given night 88,000 people are homeless in Los Angeles County. 34,35
There are more than 250,000 homeless persons over the course of a year in the county. 36
Approximately 500,000 people are in acute poverty and on the brink of homelessness. 37
The city has higher rates of homelessness than the national average. 38
Families, typically headed by single mothers, represent a growing percentage of the homeless population. 39
African Americans represent 10% of the Los Angeles population, but over 20% of the homeless population. 40
Demographics of Homeless Youth
The Los Angeles metro area has four distinct populations of homeless youth. One population, predominantly Caucasian youth that are unaccompanied, resides in Hollywood. A second population, which is mostly Latino, is located in the area near MacArthur Park. A third, mostly African American population, resides in the Skid Row area. The final population, foster care youth nearing emancipation, is clustered in South Los Angeles.
26,000 homeless youth in Los Angeles County. 42
10,163 homeless youth enrolled in Los Angeles Unified School District. 43
4,794 homeless youth are emancipated foster care youth. 44
Many youth enrolled in LAUSD are not in shelters. 45
One-third identified as being a sexual minority. 46
80% of children attend school regularly.
Caucasians are over represented in the category of youth, making up over half of the population. 47
Over half of emancipated youth become homeless each year. 48
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