Homeless Youth Research Paper

Words: 660
Pages: 3

Today homeless youth is the highest percentage of homeless people in the United States. It is estimated that there are approximately one million three hundred thousand to one million six hundred thousand homeless people between the ages of eighteen and twenty four. Homeless youth are at a higher risk for physical abuse, sexual exploitation, mental health disabilities, substance abuse, and death. Around five thousand unaccompanied youth die each year as a result of assault, illness, or suicide in America. One in seven children between the ages of ten and eighteen will run away, young people between the ages of twelve to seventeen are more at risk of homelessness than adults, and seventy five percent of runaways are female. It is estimated that …show more content…
In some cases, youth are asked to leave the home because the family is unable to provide for their specific mental health or disability needs. Still some youth are pushed out of their homes because their parents cannot afford to care for them. Youth who have been involved in the foster care system are more likely to become homeless at an earlier age and remain homeless for a longer period of time. Youth aging out of the foster care system often have little or no income support and limited housing options and are at higher risk to end up on the streets. Youth that live in residential or institutional facilities often become homeless upon discharge. In addition, very few homeless youth are able to seek housing in emergency shelters due to the lack of shelter beds for young people and shelter admission policies. Some youth become homeless when their families fall into difficult financial situations resulting from lack of affordable housing, difficulty obtaining or maintaining a job, or lack of medical insurance or other