Introduction
Homelessness affects all strata of the population in the United States. The most vulnerable portion, however, is the nation’s children and teenagers. Unfortunately, children under the age of 16 often run away from home and remain without shelter for prolonged periods of time. Parental neglect and family conflicts often contribute to this issue. There have been numerous government interventions in the form of policies since the times of the Great Depression, but the number of homeless children and teenagers has only increased. In this context, social workers and human service professionals play a significant role. They can help prevent this social challenge by aiding families in improving their relationships and mitigating conflicts.
Historical Perspective
Youth homelessness is a social phenomenon that can be summarized as a complete dismissal of a minor from his or her family. It is often associated with the loss of their place of residence and occupation (Morton et al., 2018). It is an extreme manifestation of neglect, which usually results from carelessness on behalf of children’s parents or guardians. Homelessness may lead to the improper formation of the personality of minors and contributes to the development of socially harmful behavior.
Youth homelessness has been a significant public concern for many decades. According to the report shared by Voices of Youth Count (2017), about 1 in 10 (3.5 million) young adults at the age of 18-25 experience homelessness in different forms. Christian organizations have long been trying to draw public attention to homeless children. However, in the majority of cases, religion cannot be a solution for homeless people because they have to deal with maltreatment, the absence of guardians, or the holes in the system. As for large cities, such as New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, homeless children eventually fall under the supervision of law enforcement agencies (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2019). Then, they are transferred to orphanages, shelters, and distribution centers.
Causes of youth homelessness primarily depend on political, legislative, social, and economic factors. Therefore, throughout history, different constituents determined the rates of homelessness among children. For instance, in the 20th century, the Great Depression was a significant cause of child homelessness (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2019). An increase in unemployment rates and deindustrialization had a deteriorating impact on the welfare of children (Slesnick et al., 2018). Homelessness could be either a reason for the lack of employment opportunities or an outcome of the lack of jobs for young people.
Despite the fact that the Great Depression is primarily associated with unfavorable economic conditions and poverty, significant policy changes took place in the 1930s. For instance, in 1933, the Federal Transient Bureau was established to help homeless children (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2019). The bureau, along with states, developed programs that targeted vulnerable parts of the population. Parallel to that, the older population was aided by Civilian Conservation Corps. Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that the Great Depression was a turning point in the history of Federal Policy in the context of youth homelessness. Prior to these new changes, the only activities undertaken by the government in facilitating children’s welfare were to investigate and report homelessness cases (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2019). Established in 1912, the Children’s Bureau was responsible for these activities.
The definition of youth homelessness is different from one country to another. In the United States, a runaway child is also considered homeless. Before 1950, however, the government did not consider such children as individuals without shelter. Only in 1950, Social Security Act was augmented with a statute that allowed the government to use money from child welfare funds to return runaway children to their parents (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2019). The official definition of youth homelessness started to include runaway children in 1974 when the Runaway Youth Act was passed as the third title of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2019). It had been reauthorized several times, the last one before 2010 occurring in 2008 as the Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act.
Family problems and residential instability had also contributed to homelessness significantly. Voices of Youth Count (2017) reports that parental neglect, abuse, economic challenges, and conflicts make youth drive from their homes. Physical abuse and sexual harassment also had deteriorating effects on child well-being (Xu et al., 2016). Welfare programs separated children from their families in times when their parents could not afford housing due to the unstable economic environment and high rates of unemployment. However, the list of true reasons for children to leave their families varied in time, and this decision was hard to predict or understand.
Children who become homeless are more likely to remain in that status for prolonged periods of time when they grow up. They could easily end up in residential placements, become homeless when they grew up, or be discharged from such facilities because of different causes. The primary reason was that the policies of that time did not allow people of a certain age to remain in shelters while not providing any means for self-support (Voices of Youth Count, 2017). These findings portray the inefficacy of former policies that were targeted at reducing homelessness rates among youth. While they were partially successful, these programs did not guarantee long-term welfare.
Among the notable governmental interventions was the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act that was established in 1987. This law provided that children should face no obstacles when attending school (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2019). Some of the barriers that were considered were travel distance to school, the absence of school supplies, and others. The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) was established in the same year (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2019). To address the issue of homelessness when young individuals depart from foster care facilities, the Chaffee Foster Care Independence Program was created (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2019). The program’s fund was aimed at providing states with the necessary resources to support children that were expected to leave foster care. This money could be used to rent housing for children and provide them with education and other vital services (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2019). The amount of funding increased in 2008, as a result of the Fostering Connections Act.
Current Perspective
While former policies and social programs aimed at mitigating the consequences of youth homelessness were mainly ineffective, contemporary activities seem worse. The reason is that the homelessness rates among youth have been increasing steadily (Morton et al., 2018). More than 4 million children experience homelessness to some extent, according to the latest statistics (Morton et al., 2018). Of those, almost 20% are unaccompanied, meaning that they do not have parents or guardians to take care of them.
Because there has been a drastic increase in homelessness rates, it is reasonable to propose that there has been a change in what causes youth homelessness. Historically, the list of reasons included financial hardships and family issues (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2019). Today, however, this list is augmented by several demographic factors. For instance, there is a higher risk of becoming homeless if a child is Hispanic or black (Morton et al., 2018). Also, LGBTQ children are twice as likely to become homeless as their counterparts (Shelton, 2015). That is because sexual orientation has a significant impact on the relationship between children and their parents (Shelton, 2015). Lesbian and gay individuals are more likely to be neglected by their parents, and therefore, are at a higher risk of departing their homes.
Unfavorable habits and underperformance in school are also determinants of youth homelessness. A significant portion of children that run away has reported that they have had issues at school or consumed drugs (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2019). These factors may not always have a direct impact on children’s welfare, but they influence decision-making and reasoning (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2019). A young individual with no ability to reason is more likely to engage in criminal and unfavorable behavior. Besides the risk of becoming homeless, such irrational behavior has other implications for children. For instance, such individuals may take part in unsafe sexual activities, which may lead to HIV/AIDS.
As the issue of youth homelessness has become much more complicated than it was several decades ago, the need for complex and effective policies has risen. USICH, which consists of 19 federal agencies, has set an ambitious goal – in 2010, it declared that it aims at ending youth homelessness by 2020 (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2019). Called Opening Doors Strategic Plan, this campaign is the first comprehensive effort undertaken by the government (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2019). USICH identified the most significant outcomes that should be pursued, developed strategies that can be applied by communities, and proposed measurement tools that can be used to analyze progress (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2019). Since 2010, USICH has done a significant amount of job; however, homelessness rates do not seem to decrease.
Besides federal efforts, states have also proposed legislative measures against youth homelessness. Since the beginning of 2019, more than 30 states have passed associated laws (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2019). They address educational concerns, oblige foster care facilities to discharge children to permanent shelter, ensure homeless youth receive housing for the period of their postsecondary education, and funds are managed appropriately. Because youth homelessness often leads to mental issues and other health problems, some states allow children under the age of 18 to benefit from the services of healthcare institutions (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2019). Typically, a visit to a doctor requires a parent or a guardian to accompany the child.
In summary, it can be seen that government effort is not sufficient for battling youth homelessness, and the issue needs a more thorough approach. The present methods are aimed at mitigating the impact of homelessness, but they do not attempt to solve the problem at its origin. The primary cause of youth homelessness is the conflicts and issues within families, which may, in turn, result from a majority of social and economic factors. Strategies for fighting homelessness among youth should be targeted at solving family problems. In this context, the role of social workers and human services professionals becomes critical.
Implications for Social Workers
The absence of a permanent shelter often leads to psychological issues and disorders among homeless people. From these affected individuals, children under the age of 16 are especially vulnerable (Ambrosino et al., 2016). Unfavorable mental conditions, in turn, have a deteriorating impact on physical health (Xu et al., 2016). The first reason why social workers and human service professionals are critical in the context of youth homelessness is their skills that may be beneficial for the mental well-being of children. Social workers may provide psychological counseling and help individuals overcome health issues that resulted from a lack of housing (Ambrosino et al., 2016). Such assistance is critical because it may save young people from developing physical illnesses and unfavorable habits because of mental disorders and depression.
Social workers and human service professionals are often knowledgeable about federal and state programs that are present and may help homeless youth. They may share this knowledge with homeless individuals that do not know what options exist in such circumstances (Ambrosino et al., 2016). Often, homeless people struggle with survival and are forced to focus their attention exclusively on finding food and water. As a result, they do not have the time and energy to pursue government aid. Social workers are capable of raising awareness of available programs and charities so that homeless people seek a remedy (Ambrosino et al., 2016). Instead of waiting for homeless people to come and ask for help, social workers may often be proactive.
Lastly, social workers and human service professionals are competent in family matters. They are capable of aiding families when conflicts and relationship issues emerge (Ambrosino et al., 2016). Family problems are a leading cause of child homelessness, but it is possible to prevent such issues from happening if a family knows how to manage conflict adequately. Social workers may help families acquire such skills and improve intercommunication within households (Ambrosino et al., 2016). These professionals are critical because they have the capacity to tackle youth homelessness at its roots. The issues, however, lie in funding social workers – until 2010, it has been sustainable, but during the last decade, social work funding has faced significant budget cuts (Moya et al., 2018). The government believes that such critical stages could influence the quality of life of the population and find solutions to the problems of homelessness at other levels. Due to the significance of social workers in times when child homelessness is rising, decreasing social work funding seems illogical. Funding should be increased so that agencies may hire a higher number of social workers and human service professionals.
Conclusion
Social workers and human service professionals are critical to preventing and mitigating the consequences of youth homelessness. Therefore, the government should increase funding of social service agencies. Since the 1930s, numerous federal policies in the form of the legislature have been proposed. However, because the number of homeless children has only increased, it is reasonable to consider these policies as ineffective. There should be a different approach to solving this social dilemma, and social workers have the lead role in this new strategy. I believe that the future of human services that aim at protecting and working with homeless youth depends on how modern people can recognize the urgency of their problems. This study proves that funding is not stable, which influences the quality of help that can be offered to young people. In addition, homeless youth does not understand the benefits or threats of unstable employment or its lack. Therefore, the area of human services must be elaborated, and evidence-based interventions and examples of other nations may be considered.
References
Ambrosino, R., Heffernan, J., Shuttlesworth, G., & Ambrosino, R. (2016). Social work and social welfare: An introduction (8th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Morton, M. H., Dworsky, A., Matjasko, J. L., Curry, S. R., Schlueter, D., Chávez, R., & Farrell, A. F. (2018). Prevalence and correlates of youth homelessness in the United States. Journal of Adolescent Health, 62(1), 14-21.
Moya, E. M., Chavez-Baray, S. M., Martinez, O., Mattera, B., & Adcox, C. (2018). Bridging the gap between micro and macro practice to address homelessness in the US-Mexico border region: Implications for practitioners and community stakeholders. Reflections (Long Beach), 24(1), 102-118.
National Conference of State Legislatures (2019). Youth homelessness overview. Web.
Shelton, J. (2015). Transgender youth homelessness: Understanding programmatic barriers through the lens of cisgenderism. Children and Youth Services Review, 59, 10-18.
Slesnick, N., Zhang, J., & Yilmazer, T. (2018). Employment and other income sources among homeless youth. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 39(3), 247-262. Web.
Voices of Youth Count. (2017). Missed opportunities: Youth homelessness in America. Web.
Xu, L., Carpenter-Aeby, T., Aeby, V. G., Lu, W., Fisher, L., Hardee, M., & Rowson, N. (2016). A systematic review of the literature: Exploring correlates of sexual assault and homelessness. Tropical Medicine & Surgery, 4(2). Web.