NCJ Number
179332
Date Published
1999
Length
111 pages
Annotation
Through in-depth interviews with four homeless teenagers, each person tells his or her unique story; at times, the stories are painful in that they reveal individuals who are struggling to maintain their integrity and humanity in the face of fear, loss, and economic and spiritual hardship.
Abstract
In other cases, the stories are exasperating because they demonstrate a litany of poor choices, shortsighted thinking, and self-gratification. The author notes that homelessness among teenagers has increased by about 25 percent over the past 5 years in the United States, and indicates that there are many specific reasons why teenagers are homeless. For about one-third of homeless teenagers, the situation of their parents has caused homelessness. The number of runaways and throwaways is dramatically increasing, and the average age of these individuals is dropping. The homeless teenage population is difficult to count, in part because many choose not to seek help from agencies and shelters. No matter what the estimates are, most experts agree that children and teenagers represent the fastest-growing segment of the homeless population, increasing by almost 40 percent between 1993 and 1997. The stories of the four homeless teenagers indicate they are or have been homeless for different reasons and illustrate the problems they face, including drug abuse and poor health. References and photographs