The Rise Of Homeless Teens

The streets shouldn’t be a home for anybody, especially growing teenagers. We walk down the street and we see homeless teens all the time. We might think they chose to live like that, and they choose not to get help. Little do you know, therese so much we can do to help. But what exactly defines a ‘street teen.’ Street teens are teens who temporarily live on the streets, but the longer they stay one the streets, the risker their lives become. Homeless teens are also considered homeless when they find temporary shelter in cars or hotels. Why are more teens are living on the streets, when you could do so much to help? I propose to start more homeless shelters, drop in centers in school, more jobs, soup kitchens, and support groups. If we could

The most common answer states that teens suffer from family problems. A violent or neglecting household can cause a young teen to simply leave. Parents being homophobic (over 40% of the homeless population identifies as LGBT) or racist towards a child can also pressure a child to leave. Teens don’t have to have family problems to leave their homes. They sometimes leave in search of an adventure, or turn to a rebellious standpoint. No matter what circumstance, teens shouldn’t have a temporary life on the streets. (Facts About) The longer they stay on the streets, they are more likely to become victims in abduction, physical and sexual abuse, and sex trafficking. When a teen does result in homelessness, they tend to engage in explicit and bizarre activities in order to support themselves financially. One very popular way of gaining money would be ‘survival sex.’ Survival sex is simply just having sex for money; HIV rates for homeless teens are much higher for teens with a home. Survival sex isn't the only way teens get money, street teens get involved in prostitution, drug delivering, and gangs in order to make ends meet. (Street

As mentioned before, these programs are only offered for a short amount of time, which forces teens to return to the streets. So what can we do to help these teens? Well I propose we start more support groups for teens in need, affordable housing, and more jobs. I think the first step for abolishing homeless teens would be to get the word out. The more they live on the streets, the riskier their lives become. I think schools can have a huge impact on teens, and schools could even create drop in centers for teens in need. They would get breakfast, self care items, items of clothing, or even counselling. A school in Dallas, Texas has done just that. Homeless teens that participate in the drop in center tend to help them out. (Zeeble, Bill) “ Because it's used to help students out that are not usually like self-sufficient, like their parents don't help them out or anything. So it helps them if they need food or if they can't stay with their friends, then helping them go to a homeless shelter. They also provide different stuff for the students.” - Kameron (student at Dallas Texas High School) If schools could get the word out about homelessness for young teens, teens would be more interested in getting help. Schools would then direct students to where they see fit. I secondly propose we offer more housing at