Homeless youth – breaking the cycles and what it takes.

The following is a guest post by Vincent Salazar of the Malibu House of Hope Project, whose mission is “to assist and inspire homeless youth, aged 18 to 24 in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, through transitional housing, and individualized assistance, to become self-supporting and contributing members of our community.” According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, 1.35 million U.S. children are homeless on any given night. Youth aged 12-17 are at higher risk for homelessness than adults. Vincent can be reached at vincent_salazar@hotmail.com.

Breaking the Cycle of Homeless Youth by Vincent Salazar

To break the cycle of a homeless youth you must take a holistic approach to their needs for a home. Most are at an age where they are expected to be adults and provide for themselves. Food, housing and clothes alone won’t solve the key issues that lead to and keep the cycle of homelessness going. For homeless youth, day-to-day survival on the streets is harsh, unforgiving, and often painful. Homeless teens tend to run away because they were abused or were forced out of their homes by their parents. These “throwaway teens¹” take to the streets feeling unwanted and uncared for. They quit school and move to the busy sidewalks and parks of large cities, where, eventually, many succumb to drugs or alcohol. A runaway youth might engage in prostitution either for shelter or for money to eat. Consequently, they often become even more detached from society and acquire an overwhelming sense of resentment toward their parents and other adults. Thus, getting homeless youth to trust anyone enough to commit to life changing programs seems like a surmountable task. A homeless teen’s lack of work experience compound the difficulty they have in finding a job and legally supporting themselves. Going home could mean returning to an abusive or otherwise intolerable situation — not considered an option by most runaway teens. On their wish lists is a place to sleep, regular meals, a shower, a job, and medical care.

Statistics on Homeless Children & Youth
Statistics on homelessness are often outdated and hard to come by. Most homeless youth are invisible, surviving undetected on someone’s couch or worse.

According to the National Coalition for the Homeless¹, 1.35 million U.S. children are homeless on any given night.  And in 2003, children under the age of 18 accounted for 39% of the homeless population.  Poverty and lack of affordable housing are the principal causes of family homelessness.

Over 50% of youth in shelters and on the streets reported that their parents either told them to leave or knew they were leaving but did not care⁶.

Thus, it is unarguably that homeless teens and young adults are in extreme need of programs like the Malibu House of Hope if they want to have a fighting chance against the odds stacked against them.

Our Solution
Malibu House of Hope advocates for homeless youth on four distinct tracks: (1) to increase early intervention and family reunification services for homeless youth, (2) to expand long-term housing options consistent with young people’s developmental needs, (3) to offer after-care support to end homelessness for youth aging out of or exiting foster care and correctional settings, and (4) to offer a short term transitional housing solution including a ranch type environment to learn ranching, horticulture, education and work program options.

We believe “Learning to be Self Disciplined” is a core strength that will improve the lives of young adults as they navigate through the world.

Malibu House of Hope has developed a daily routine of three main components: Work and Exercise, Reading and Education, and Spirituality. The Spiritual aspect of our program is meant to help youth establish daily times of reflection.  All faiths are respected, thus program participants will practice their own faith rituals.

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References and Resources

1.   Hammer, H., Finkelhor, D., & Sedlak, A. (2002). Runaway / Thrownaway Children: National Estimates and Characteristics. National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Thrownaway Children. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

2.   Greene, J. (1995). Youth with Runaway, Throwaway, and Homeless Experiences: Prevalence, Drug Use, and Other At-Risk Behaviors. Research Triangle Institute. HHS. ACF – ACYF.

3.    Link, B., Susser, E., Stueve, A., Phelan, J., Moore, R., Struening, E. (1994). Lifetime and Five-year Prevalence of Homelessness in the United States. American Journal of Public Health. Vol. 84, No. 12. pp 1907-1912.

4.   Ringwalt, C., Greene, J., Robertson, M., & McPheeters, M. (1998). The Prevalence of Homelessness Among Adolescents in the United States. American Journal of Public Health. Vol. 88, Iss. 9

5.   Westat, Inc. (1997). National Evaluation of Runaway and Homeless Youth. Washinton, DC: US Dep’t of HHS, Admin on Children, Youth and Families.

6 .  Greene, J. (1995). Youth with Runaway, Throwaway, and Homeless Experiences: Prevalence, Drug Use, and Other At-Risk Behaviors Research Triangle Institute. HHS. ACF – ACYF.

7.   Homeless and Runaway Youth Receiving Services at federally Funded shelters. United States General Accounting Office. GAO/HRD-90-45