Introduction
Runaway and homeless youth (RHY) are children and young adults who have/had trauma and family conflict to the extent that they no longer live within the toxic environment of their family members. Many homeless youth have either distanced themselves from their family for some time, ran away and never returned “home,” or were forced out onto the streets by their families. Unresolved or ongoing family conflict was one of the biggest factors for homelessness among youth. Although physical and emotional abuse are mainly prevalent in displacing these youth, sexual orientation plays an overrepresented role. In the case of LGBTQ RHY, many are running from ongoing or recurrent conflict with parents and/or non-tolerance of their identity.
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Family tension and sexual orientation collude to making their lives worse and the situation is expected to shortly implode on itself. Disclosure of sexual orientation to the parents of LGBTQ RHY can be the root cause for housing instability or it can amplify the conflictual tension that has pre-existed. Intolerance can stem from individuals, but can also be a result of religiosity or cultural stigma that society has created for the LGBTQ community. With homelessness among LGBTQ youth becoming more and more common, we need to examine the possible solutions that can alleviate the situations that they are in. Most importantly, how will the government or the community be able to remedy an effective approach to ensure access for forgotten niche subgroups within LGBTQ RHY or will many issues continue …show more content…
LGBTQ RHY are a significant niche group, but policymakers do not specify programs for these youth because they have been rendered legislative invisible. Congress and other policymakers also miss the mark for the intersectional aspects of people. Youth of color are also excluded in the settings of RHY. Compared to the general population of POC in the United States, there is tremendous overrepresentation of the African-American and Hispanic population in homelessness. 42% of homeless people are black and 20% are Hispanic. This an overwhelming discovery on the demographics of homelessness in the United States, especially when taking into account that the black and Hispanic population of the United States only accounts for just over 13%
Although The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act is a program that guarantees education for the homeless youth population, many homeless do not receive the proper services they need because they are not aware of available resources (Heinze & Jozefowicz-Simbeni, 2009). Many homeless youths do not have a safe place to stay during the night or do not have any family or friends to rely on for support. In addition, approximately 7% of youth members in the United States are left without a home because of high dependence on an addictive substance or because they have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder (Heinze & Jozefowicz-Simbeni, 2009). Services that could provide shelter for the youth are often underused. Research in homeless youth
Youth become homeless for a number of reasons, including: family violence and neglect, rejection due to sexual orientation or gender identity, the overwhelmed child welfare system and extreme poverty. These youth almost always have experienced unimaginable abuse and trauma, in their homes, their communities, and on the street. It is the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA)-funded services and programs that help to rectify the deep injustices that homeless youth experience on a daily basis.
The perspectives from transgender youth is critically missing in many discussion, research, intervention and implementation strategies. Transgender youth, are misunderstood, misrepresented and excluded from conversations, decision making, and policy execution when in actuality they should be involved. Shelton & Bond (2017) elucidates that although there is a growing body of research that examines LGBTQ youth homelessness, gaps in knowledge about the specific experiences of transgender and gender-expansive homeless youth remain. Studies focus largely on transgender youth in the context of the methods and measures in studies. Hence, including transgender youth within research on sexual minorities, rather than allowing them a distinct category of inquiry, can replicate the common misreading of transgender people as
Even with the daily struggle faced by youth in obtaining shelter and homelessness becoming a reality for a growing number of Canadians, Canada, with its high quality of life is one country that has always had a global long-standing reputation. This paper will be working towards giving the reader a better understanding with regards to homeless youth. It will be focusing on the reasons why they leave home, their lives on the street and steps they are trying to take to be able to leave the streets. An important finding from this research suggests, “the street youth population is diverse, complex, and heterogeneous”. According to Karabanow, made up of a number of subcultures including hardcore street-entrenched young people, squatters, group home kids, child welfare kids, soft-core twinkles, runaways, throwaways, refugees and immigrants is the generic term ‘street youth’.
If you wanted to examine young people's experiences of homelessness, would you use qualitative methods, or quantitative methods, or a mixed methods approach, and why?
Youth homelessness in Ontario is not a new phenomenon, it has become more and more severe over the past 20 years. “One third of homeless individuals on the streets are under the age of 25”(Cino, Rose). It is a significant social justice issue in Canada. Within our community people are increasingly aware of the sight of youth sleeping in parks, asking for money and sitting on sidewalks. Youth homelessness in Ontario is primarily caused by tragic life occurrences such as abuse, illness or unemployment.
Homelessness is a real serious health issue all over the world that must be addressed. A lot of people in a public frequently misunderstand the cause of homelessness. Remarks regarding homeless people such as “they need to just get a job” or “go to school” are normally used liberally by members of society because they neglect to look at the complete issue. Homelessness does not discriminate. Individuals that have previously experience or may experience being homeless can be from different regions, have different cultural backgrounds, ages, and could be of any gender. Minorities seem to be mostly affected by homelessness. A study done in 2012 found that the homeless population is consisted of 39% non-Hispanic Whites, 42% African-Americans, 13% Hispanic, 4% Native-American, and 2% Asian (Now on PBS, 2012). The End Homelessness website provides the following statistics:
The Homeless in America I never imagined that I would be homeless. " Although I have read this statement over and over again, the facts behind it remain astonishing. The facts are that there are millions of homeless people in America today. Many of these people had no choice but to become homeless. Economic problems such as being laid off work, or the rise in the cost of housing, have led people to live on the streets.
Numerous of people believe only certain races are homeless, but it is certainly not true. Compared to seventy six of the general population, thirty nine percent of Non-Hispanic white individuals are homeless. Compared to eleven percent of the general population, forty two percent of African-Americans are homeless. Compared to nine percent of the general population, thirteen percent of Hispanics are homeless. Compared to one percent of the general population, four percent of the homeless are Native-American. Two percent of homeless were Asians (“facts”). Family rejection of sexual orientation and identity was the most frequently cited factor of the LGBT homelessness. Fifty percent of young people that are homeless say parents notified them to leave or knew they were leaving and did not care (“Eleven facts about homeless”). The Williams Institute, said “forty percent of the homeless youth served by agencies identifies as LGBT. Forty
Youth become homeless for a number of reasons including: family violence and neglect, rejection due to sexual orientation or gender identity, the overwhelmed child welfare system and extreme poverty. These youth almost always have experienced unimaginable abuse and trauma, in their homes, their communities, and on the street. It is the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA)-funded services and programs that help to rectify the deep injustices that homeless youth experience on a daily basis.
traumatic events. They worry they will have no place to live, have no place to sleep or
Homelessness among the aging population is a significant problem in the United States. Not only is it a problem for older people who are homeless, but it also puts as strain on social agencies and the community in general. Homelessness has been shown to lead to other problems such as increased risk for disease, violence, and early death. This paper will explore the underlying values that make society view homelessness as a social problem, its effect on the persons with the problem, and on their family and community as well as ways that community and government organizations are attempting to combat the problem of homelessness amongst older adults.
Despite the transition, little consideration has been given to understanding the growing population of gay adolescents. 25% of American families are likely to have a gay child (Hidalgo 24); In the United States, three million adolescents are estimated to be homosexual. Yet, American society still ignores gay adolescents. Majority of children are raised in heterosexual families, taught in heterosexual establishments, and put in heterosexual peer groups. Gay adolescents often feel forced by parents to pass as “heterosexually normal” (Herdt 2). As a result, homosexual teens hide their sexual orientation and feelings, especially from their parents. Limited research conducted on gay young adults on disclosure to parents generally suggests that disclosure is a time of familial crisis and emotional distress. Very few researchers argue that disclosure to parents results in happiness, bringing parents and children closer (Ben-Ari 90).
Table of Contents Literature Review — 3 Methodology — 5 Findings — 6 Summary — 8 Works Cited/Works Used — 9 Appendix: Survey Form — 11 LITERATURE REVIEW In this information behavior study, our group examines the everyday information resources, needs, and behaviors of the homeless. Literature research has led us to many key resources. Important literature on our topic includes Everyday Information Needs and Information Sources of Homeless Parents, The Homeless and Information Needs and Services, and Are the economically poor information poor? Does the digital divide affect the homeless and access to information?
Troubled Youth Despite many obstacles in my life, my experience performing community service stands out as the most memorable. I was sixteen at the time, and just beginning my first job at a fast food restaurant. I had to learn how to balance community service in the morning with my employment at the local Wendy’s. It was very stressful and influential at the same time.