Family and Living Arrangements - Homeless Children And Youth

Families with Children

Homelessness is on the rise in the United States. In 2002 the U.S. Conference of Mayors surveyed twenty-five cities and reported that requests for emergency shelter by homeless people had increased 19% over the previous year (A Status Report on Hunger and Homelessness in America's Cities 2002: A 25-City Survey, Washington, DC, December 2002). The most frequent reasons given by participating cities for homelessness were a lack of affordable housing; mental illness and substance abuse (and the lack of available services for both); low-paying jobs or unemployment; domestic violence; and cuts in public assistance programs.

The survey concluded that families with children accounted for 41% of the homeless population, 9% higher than a decade earlier, when families with children accounted for 32% of the homeless population. Three-quarters (73%) of these homeless families were headed by single parents.

Shelters

The 2002 Conference of Mayors survey found that emergency shelters in 60% of cities surveyed had to turn away homeless families due to a lack of resources. Nearly a third (30%) of shelter requests by homeless people could not be met, and an even higher percentage of shelter requests by families were not met (38%). In 40% of the surveyed cities, some homeless families had to break up in order to be accommodated in emergency shelters, because some shelters for women and children will not allow men (including husbands of women residents) to stay with their families.

Unaccompanied Youth

In 2002 the U.S. Conference of Mayors reported that 5% of the homeless in the surveyed cities were unaccompanied youths. Burlington, Vermont, reported the highest rate of homeless unaccompanied youth (9%), followed by Chicago, Illinois; Louisville, Kentucky; Nashville, Tennessee; New Orleans, Louisiana; Phoenix, Arizona; and San Antonio, Texas, at 5% each. Young people are among the least studied of the homeless population. Comparing studies is difficult because inconsistent terms are used to define homeless youth, including runaways, pushouts, throwaways, and unaccompanied youth. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) notes that much more research is needed to get a complete picture of homeless youth, evaluate programs designed for them, and design interventions to prevent homelessness among at-risk youth.