Homeless Youth Case Study

Our text illustrates that there are various populations within the homeless community. These people are homeless for different reasons, whether its voluntary or involuntarily. Runaways and Victims of

Acute disorders, such as lice infestations, to major health risks such as nutritional deficiencies and upper respiratory infections are five to ten times more likely to develop while being a homeless child. When it comes to homeless youth, an amazing 14% of girls aged 13 to 15 were pregnant since being homeless (Kryder-Coe, 1991). Sexually transmitted diseases are also seven to eight times more likely to be contracted by homeless youth than normal youths. Alcohol and substance abuse, as well as severe psychotic disorders, are somewhat common in homeless children, but almost nonexistent among normal children.

A common misconception of homeless youth is that even if they do become homeless they are not homeless for long. The National Alliance to End

With the informing of the nation, next comes the awareness of the government. The most influential Americans, the ones capable of written, federal change, have turned an ear to the cause. Legislation so far has helped greatly. Acts like the Housing and Community Act of 1974, which gave housing opportunities for lower income families, and the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, an organization aimed at helping communities and with which the Education for Homeless Children and Youth program was added to in 1987, have supported the cause to this day. The aforementioned Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program ensured homeless children and youth equal access to an education. Even with this help, many schools found conflict arising in areas such as residency, guardian requirements, incomplete or missing documentation (Dealing with 114). There is

The homeless are impacted far more by everyday issues than those who are not. Often times, homeless children can be sick four times as much as middle class children and have superior rates of acute and recurring illnesses. In addition, they experience emotional and behavioral problems can hinder with learning at almost three times the rate of other children. “Homeless children between 6 and 17 years struggle with high rates of mental health problems. For example, 47% have problems

Youth who live on the streets are there for two main reasons either they chose to leave the home because of the living situation or they will leave home because they are kicked out or drugs and alcohol have led them onto the streets. 20% of the homeless population is youth and it is increasing every year because of the changes that our generation is going through and being affected by. The rates of suicide in homeless youth are 10.3 times larger then an average Canadian youth. (McKay, E. (2009). Independent Living Accounts: Leaving Homelessness in the Past.).

Giffords, E., Alonso, C., & Bell, R. (2007). A Transitional Living Program for Homeless Adolescents: A Case Study. Child & Youth Care Forum, 36(4), 141-151. doi:10.1007/s10566-007-9036-0

Cities increasingly grapple with homelessness, while facing budget cuts to various services, but the failure to tackle homelessness creates more problems. While there are homeless people who are on drugs, some are there because housing is expensive and they have no reliable sources of income. Homelessness may result in the city spending more on welfare in a never ending cycle without finding a solution to homelessness. There are various factors associated with the risk of homelessness, including individual factors like those fleeing domestic abuse, and even those who can longer earn a living because of health conditions and disabilities. The problem of homelessness is further compounded when the homeless suffer mental health issues and alcohol or drug dependence (Benston, 2015). Homelessness is a problem that affects even the youth, and stakeholders ought to work together to tackle the problem, as city officials, and residents are the audience who should be concerned with the problem at the local level.

Throughout the United States, there are a large number of individuals that goes unnoticed. Hidden in right plain sight, but are overlooked. They can be our friends, family, classmates, or the person standing right next you to at this moment. There are young individuals who are facing the tremendous challenge of being homeless. They are overlooked by many in society. However, there have been countless individuals, groups, organizations dedicated to ending youth homelessness. However, they are confronted with challenges due to the lack of interest. The lack of interest found within society can contribute to barriers to ending youth homelessness.

Other influences seen among the youth homeless population are problems with problematic behavior. In the 6-year study, some of the participants said that their leaving home was a result of their own problematic behavior (Mayock, Parker, Murphy, 2014). These problematic behaviors include drug/ substance use, criminal activity, anti social behavior and negative peer associations (Mayock & O’Sullivan, 2007). In some instances, the parents may have chosen to remove a young person from the home who has problematic behavior in hopes to relieve the issue and address the seriousness of the problem. (Smith et al.,

Homeless people are identified as a high risk group with a variety of health issue that need to be addressed. Homeless people encounter many obstacles when attempting to access and receive health care. “Conditions associated with homelessness have a profound effect on an individual's ability

The U.S. homeless student population: Homeless youth education, review of research classifications and typologies, and the U.S. federal legislative response” article reviews Federal policies that intend to address what homeless youth need in order to be able to receive the education they need. Some homeless youth are able to successfully graduate by utilizing the support systems they are able to find in their environment. There are several federally funded programs that are able to assist homeless youth with what they need and their education.

There were 400 respondents based on 4 criteria’s: (1) respondents must be 24 and under; (2) must have left or completed school; (3) must be unemployed; (4) They must have been in a shelter or without a home in the previous 12 months. Baron conducted a cross-sectional “high risk” sample of 400 homeless street youths. They were interviewed on the street, in parks, bus shelters, fast food restaurants, or in front of social service agencies with interviews averaging 70 minutes in length. In the study, criminal involvement was the dependent variable.

The problem of mental disorders is a major one among homeless families. However, the mental health of homeless children has been less systematically researched, and almost all the available data is based on research studies of children in homeless shelters in the USA (Bushra 1996). Various terms, such as behavioral problems/difficulties, psychosocial maladjustment or mental health disorders, are often used to describe the degree

Imagine a young child growing up, learning, and trying to further his or her life to obtain success in the future. For an “everyday” child this can be challenging, however “everyday” obstacles can be overcome. For thousands of children in the United States, this dream is almost impossible to achieve. These children are a part of the homeless population that is spread throughout the United States. Many times these individuals try to hide this major secret from the rest of the world, but homelessness is very prevalent among these youths today. Various problems occur in these peoples’ lives that others could not even begin to understand. Homelessness affects children in every stage of life physically, mentally, and emotionally.