The Problem Of Homeless Youth

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

Being homeless presents many challenges for youth that they normally live day to day, unable to develop plans for forming a productive life structure. Since many homeless youth don’t have money so they start begging or selling drugs or start prostituting to earn money to cover their basic needs. The basic problem of homelessness is the human need for personal shelter,

In order to change the treatment of LGBT homeless youth we need to not only change our hearts but we need to change some laws. Chris Johnson focuses on just that, he talks about the reintroduction of an outdated law and how it’s being amended to include the LGBT youths. This inclusion will prohibit discrimination at federally funded shelters and social service programs. This article supports my research because it recognizes the special needs of the LGBT youth population to be protected from discrimination by federal grantees. It shows the growth our communities have made in the past several years.

There are millions of homeless youth in America. On any given night, you can find these children ducking into abandoned buildings, crammed up against alley dumpsters, curled inside the big yellow slide of a local playground. I imagine they are thankful for sleep, wary of a new day, but thankful nonetheless. Homelessness at such a young age if left alone, leads to increased rates of conflict. The more homeless youths now, the more our country as a whole will have to deal with divorce, mental illness, and the need for government assistance.

Homelessness is a major problem in the United States. An incredibly vulnerable group is the homeless youth due to their young age and lack of education. According to Edidin, Ganim, Hunter, & Karnik (2012) on any particular night in the United States there are ~2 million homeless youth living on the streets, in shelters, or in other temporary accommodation. Youth become homeless for multiple reasons whether it be because they have aged out of foster care, ran from home, were kicked out of their home, or because they have become homeless along with their family members. Within the umbrella categorization of homeless youth there are high at risk subgroups, common misconceptions, and a serious concern of lack of support and medical services.

Many LGBTQ youth have particular experiences of trauma, rejection and abuse related to their sexual orientation or gender identity, and programs sometimes fail to address these issues. Even when LGBTQ youth access programs, some experience discrimination and harassment by staff who are not trained to be culturally competent on LGBT issues. By forging links with the LGBTQ youth task force to bring further attention to the homeless we can ensure development of safe and appropriate services for this population (Bardine,

Homelessness is a pressing issue that affects everyone all over the world, of all ages, all race and all sexes. There is an inexcusable amount of young people who are homeless. 17% of all homeless people are under the age of twelve. That could be the age of a younger sibling. Imagine if they were homeless, living on the streets. This is the reality that some have to face

The effects of teen homelessness are many ranging from untreated physical and mental health to drug and alcohol dependence. Many youth also fall victim to the prison system and even death due to criminal behavior as a means of survival. During my research a study was conducted on youth entering and exiting the foster care system. Research has shown that the very systems put into place to ensure child safety and reduce outcomes such as poverty have place more youth at risk “Homelessness and its associated psychosocial effects continue to plague American urban centers. Especially troubling are suggestions that foster care functions as a pipeline to the streets for older adolescents leaving the system. Surveys of service providers and homeless populations suggest that young people exiting foster care have difficulty securing stable housing” (Fowler, Toro, & Miles, 2009, p.1).

Homeless youth are a standout amongst the most underestimated gatherings in our general public. Numerous specialists recognize much more elevated amounts of different issue practices among these adolescent contrasted with their non-homeless associates. The current study analyzed the utility of social capital in foreseeing issue practices among homeless youth.

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.

Homelessness can sometimes seem like a surreal thing which does not actually happen to real people, or at least not to the people you know. However, statistically speaking, thirty thousand people are homeless on any given night. For every one of these homeless people, three point five people are what is known as ‘hidden homeless’. Commonly referred to as couch surfers, these are people who have no permanent residence, but stay with relatives or friends temporarily. Young people aged sixteen to twenty four are twenty percent of the homeless population. With these high numbers of homelessness right while we are in high school and while pursuing higher education, of course a large majority are also attempting to cope with homelessness.

In order for a community to be successful people should not up some individual freedom. 40% of homeless youth in America are LGBT because they have been kicked out of there homes for being LGBT because, their parents or parent doesn't want them because of their sexuality. Homeless LGBT give up the right to learn, eat, sleep comfortably and be loved when they are kicked out.

Walking through a major city or metropolitan area there are a countless number of people who are wearing old and ripped clothing, carrying bags or pushing grocery carts full of junk, looking like they have not bathed in weeks and most of them holding signs begging for change just so they can eat something that day. Over the past eight years the amount of homeless individuals has continuously decreased throughout the country. Homelessness in America is a serious problem, especially with higher rates in unemployment happening. Americans

Children of many ages are affected by these tremendous problems resulting from homelessness that have just become greater as time has passed. Homelessness leaves long lasting scars on these children (Crary 2). “The burden places upon these people can influence every facet of their lives; from contraception to early adulthood” (Hart-Shegos 2). All stages of life are affected by this experience of homelessness and severe problems can be caused in every stage.

There is a tremendous amount of LGBT youth that experience homelessness in the United States, and forty percent of them identify themselves as LGBT. There are so many issues that cause homelessness in the LGBT community such as discrimination in religious communities, lack of support from families and rejection from society. But in a world where these issues are all around us, how can we solve this? It starts with every individual to just stop and maybe educate themselves on this unique youth community and the struggles they must face to bring in equality. This education can start with volunteer work, educational classes, or even support groups. The problem is the discrimination against the LGBT youth community, so many do not understand what it means to be in the LGBT individual and the obstacles they must face such as finding a job, going to school and finding a place to live, etc.