YOUTH HOMELESSNESS IN AMERICA

Youth Homelessness in America

Youth Homelessness in America

Introduction

Defining “homeless youth” may seem fairly straightforward, but it is, in fact, a rather complicated task. Most researchers studying homeless persons tend to focus on those who are literally homeless. Here the term homeless youth refers primarily to youth who have spent at least one night either in an emergency shelter or “on the streets”—that is, in places outdoors or in improvised shelters without parental supervision (Rotheram, 2008).

Discussion

The term homeless youth represents all youth who have spent at least one night literally homeless, regardless of the conditions under which they separated from their most recent residence (Powers, 2006).

Homebuilder's Model

The Homebuilder model calls for small caseloads (typically two to three families per caseworker), intensive home-based services (10-20 hours per week for 4-6 weeks), and 24-hour-per-day availability of caseworkers. Like other preservation and reunification services, Homebuilders is based on the assumption that families in the midst of a crisis are amenable to change. In addition to child protection and family preservation, the goals of Homebuilders include providing social support; improved family functioning, school, and job performance; improved living conditions; and increased adult and child self-esteem.

In the context of social learning theory, children who were initially exposed to the aggressive adult model were significantly more likely to engage in aggressive acts toward the Bobo doll during a 20-minute free-choice play session than children who were initially exposed to the non-aggressive adult model (Bandura, 2005). Similarly, According to Bowen, the family systems framework encourages a strength-based approach to the positive development of children and families across academic and therapeutic disciplines. By making family members cognizant of even the slightest family belief that they possess sufficient resources to cope, family systems therapy enables family members to revise their perceptions of both the problem and their capacity for resolution (Bowen, 2006).

Many homeless youth report disrupted family histories, which may contribute to the risk for homelessness. Many youth have parents who have divorced or never married, and in some cases youth report never actually knowing their own fathers or their own mothers. Many grow up in single-parent or blended families, and many have been formally placed outside of the home by officials or have lived with relatives other than their parents for substantial periods of time.

Conclusion

Homeless youth in the United States are a large and diverse population. No typical homeless youth exists, and no single cause for youth homelessness exists. Although the majority return to their homes within a short period of time, an unknown number do not.

Most homeless youth are survivors of difficult situations, and many are skeptical and distrustful toward adults, including health professionals. In particular, some street youth may be unwilling to come into formal service sites or to eventually return to a family or foster home in which they could lose a great deal of control over their everyday lives.

References

Bandura, A. (2005). “Factors determining vicarious extinction of avoidance behavior through symbolic modeling”: Journal of Personality and Social Psychology ...