Homeless Youth Research Paper

Homeless youth are always dealing with poor nutrition, victimization, substance use, and abuse. Unfortunately the services provided are very limited and cannot help a huge chunk of the homeless youth. Homeless youth experience more substance abuse and drug addiction than non-homeless youth, this causes them to be mentally unstable and unable to be a functioning member of society. There are many temporary services provided such as shelters, drop-ins, meal programs, literacy improvements, and counselling programs; although these are available and there to help the youth, they are all flawed in their own ways. What the government does not take into consideration is the long term solutions to put youth in poverty to an end.

There are many different ways that you can help students that are dealing with homelessness. John Heegard,a veteran teacher said that “The way I look at it, my job is to build relationships, get to know my kids. I have to be honest, open, and treat them like young adults, which is what they are. Valencia and I already had a relationship, so the trust level was at a place where she could trust me.” (Holgersson, 2010).

Kimberly Tyler, a professor in the sociology department at the University of Nebraska- Lincoln, published “A Qualitative Study of Early Family Histories and Transitions of Homeless Youth” in 2006. In her study, she conducted in-depth interviews with a small group of forty homeless youth between the ages of 19 and 21 across four Midwestern states. Tyler’s open-ended questions guided the youths through their childhoods, asking specifically about several types of abuse. All interviews were carefully transcribed and examined, as researchers divided up the different abuse allegations. In the interviews the homeless youths revealed that thirty-seven of them had witnessed at least one parent abuse a substance, such as alcohol or marijuana.

In my experience, my homeless clients have engaged in high risk health behaviors and neglected their health. These high risk behaviors include substance abuse, criminal activity, incarceration, and unsafe sex practices. As a result these individuals experience high disease burdens and mortality rates. Boston Health Care for the Homeless estimated that the total annual expenditures from ER visits was $16,011,738 annually (Thakarar, Morgan, Gaeta, Hohl, & Drainoni, 2015). “Multiple factors have been identified as predictors of frequent ER use in homeless persons such as older age, previous hospital admissions and emergency room visits, multiple primary care visits, perceived inadequate mental health care, poor health status, and HIV” (Thakarar, et al., 2015).

America’s homeless population is increasing every year. According to the article “Foster Care and Homelessness,” “50% of America's homeless population spent time in foster care.” As children reach their teen years it is less likely that they will be adopted. This creates the possibility of aging out of the system. When a child ages out of the system they have to create a life for themselves.

Abuse and neglect are one of the top three leading causes of youth homelessness. “Studies show 70 percent of homeless youth have suffered some form of physical, sexual or emotional abuse” and “45.7 percent of street

HUD’s lack of provisions for this homeless youth population poses unfair barriers to students who need stability and security at a crucial time in their lives. In January of 2015, Senator Diane Feinstein proposed the Homeless Children and Youth Act in the Senate to amend HUD laws and make aid more accessible to homeless youth. Since then there has been no action and it is unlikely that this bill will be enacted in the near future. Based on the bill tracking website GovTrack.us the chance of its success is 2% (GovTrack.us, 2015). This shows a dismal lack of concern by the government for our most vulnerable young people.

 The most effective way in tackling this research question is by having a survey distributed among the streets in which homeless youth stay, among housing and homeless shelter which specialize in youth.  Inductively because the observation is specific to runaway youth among the Las Vegas community which in turns gives a general conclusion on the finding which ultimately can be used to establish more resources for the Department of Family Services (DFS), the foster families, and families in

For instance, a study published in 2009 discusses the importance of understanding the different aspects of this population in order to effectively help end youth homelessness. The study notes that are two typical forms of youth homelessness: children living in homeless families and unaccompanied youth. The first group, children living in homeless families, is essentially children who “live in families without a home” (Aratani, 2009, p. 4). Unaccompanied youth, then include those who are runaways, throwaways, and independent youth who have no contact with their family. Additionally, there is a multitude of factors that have been known to contribute to homelessness.

Homeless in the United States (U.S) as a Vulnerable Group Vulnerability, the propensity to harm, is caused by an interaction flanked by the obtainable resources to persons and communities as well as the life problems they encounter. However, vulnerability develops from developmental challenges, individual incapacities, underprivileged social status, insufficiency of interpersonal systems and supports, tainted neighborhoods and settings, and the multifaceted contacts of these aspects over the life course. However, the priority given to unreliable vulnerabilities/their neglect reflects social values. Vulnerable group include racial and ethnic minority, uninsured, underinsured, low-income children, frail older adults, mentally disabled, and homeless among others (Clapham & Clapham, David, 2015).

Did you know that 109,631,000 that makes up of 35.4% people that are on welfare reported back in 2012 around the time barack obama became president. I interviewed Ms.Connie she is social worker for the DHHS which is the Department of Health and Human Services. And she works closely with the community concerning the Flint Water project and how it affects her surviving clients in the community. Further, Ms.Connie is big on giving back and have been since her college days and serving with her fellow sorority sisters. She has an associate degree in social work, a masters degree in business administration, and information systems

(n.d.). Youth homelessness. Youth Without Shelter. Retrieved February 16, 2023, from

The issue of homelessness in America has been evident since the early 1600’s. Across the country men, women and children spend their nights on the streets not knowing when or if they will ever find a permanent home. States and federal officials or city councils have tried to alleviate or at least reduce the number of homeless over the last several decades at a city, state or national level but it continues to be an ongoing problem. There is a multitude of factors that account for the growing homeless population that affects each state in the country differently. Though there are many contributing factors that contribute to the amount of people living on the street at any given night in the U.S.

Amongst these individuals teenagers living on the streets are at a higher risk of developing drug addictions and mental illnesses, mainly due to how young and impressionable they are (Homelessness in Australia 2012). According to Youth Of The Streets, a non-profit organisation that helps youths living in difficult substitutions find better living accommodation. Within the first 5 days of being homeless young people are at a high risk of developing a drug addiction (Homelessness in Australia 2012. Evidence suggests that

Homelessness in youth often results in mental health problems and an overall decreased health state due to harmful living conditions and extreme disadvantages forming a high-risk group with regard to health inequalities across Europe (Jean R. Hughes, 2010). In that context the increased numbers of European youth living in homelessness remains a problematic cause of international public concern and interest. In addition, the problems these youths have to face on an everyday basis are often associated with an enhanced drug use representing the serious health consequences due to a life in homelessness. The aim of this paper is to investigate the impact of homelessness on the mental health state and on drug abuse of youths in Europe.