Street Outreach Paper

The purpose of this apportioned document is to provide concrete data showing evidence that youth homelessness exists in the allocated areas and to support the need of the Street Outreach Program (SOP) in the community. Parallel to this, identified target areas where street outreach workers can engage with high-risk adolescents, runaway youths, and previous or current attempts to address the problem of youth homelessness will be one of the main applications contributed to this segment.

Equally important, a three-tiered analysis will be used as we further evaluate homelessness and its associated stressors at the national, state, and local levels. Through a comprehensive literature review and local data exploration, one of the principal purpose

1). The same study showed that 75 percent of homeless or runaway youths have dropped out or will drop out of school, 75 percent to be female, youth between the ages of 12 to 17 are more at risk of experiencing homelessness than adults, and that 20 to 40 percent of the homeless youth self-reported to be; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender or Questioning (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2016). Some of the effects and consequences of youth homelessness, according to (The National Network for Youth, 2011), while living on the streets are; at high-risk of developing behavioral, life-long health, and emotional problems. In continuation, more likely to fall victim to sexual exploitation, contact Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and/or Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) due to increase likelihood of sexual exploitation, rape and sexual assault, with homeless young women five times more likely to become pregnant, and ultimately resulting in elevated possibilities for suicidal attempts/ideation. (pg.

However, when the street outreach workers engage with the homeless youths, it is the lack of resources, for instance, adequate housing alternatives/shelters, intended for individuals under the age of 18. With shortages of programs and shelters to accommodate the homeless youths, it poses multiple barriers for the adolescents, and according to the mentioned studies, it triggers them to revert back to their high-risk behaviors and survival techniques (National Conference of State Legislature – Homeless and Runaway Youth,