Understanding Homelessness Among
High School Age Youth
Joe Willard
People’s Emergency Center, Philadelphia
Staci Perlman, MSW, PhD
University of Delaware, Newark
INTRODUCTIONS
Who are you?
What brings you to this workshop?
Any community collaborations on collecting and
using data to understanding youth
homelessness?
Focus for Today
• Prevalence
• Impact
• Addressing the Needs of Youth
Scope of the Issue
Percent of Homeless Individuals
who were Unaccompanied Youth
31
Youth
Estimates from HUD Point in Time Count Data
Percent of Homeless Students who
are Unaccompanied
30
25
National
PA
24
20
19
15
13
10
5
6
6
7
0
AY1011
AY1112
AY1213
Prevalence…
100,000 v 1.6 million
Why the difference?
Estimates based on different definitions…
Obtained using different methods…
…Yield different counts
Side by Side Comparison of State
McKinney-Vento (School)
Shelter (EH/TH)
Does your community conduct a Youth
PIT?
What do you think can be done to
improve our understanding of the
number of youth experiencing
homelessness?
A strategy we tried:
Youth Risk Behavior Survey
Philadelphia YRBS
• Conducted since 1991
• Asks about an array of youth risk behaviors
• In 2009 and 2011, Philadelphia included three
questions on housing status – making it one of
few locations in the country to do so…
Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS)
• Conducted biennially - usually during the spring
• Completed in one class period (45 minutes)
• Anonymous, no “skip-patterns”
Philadelphia YRBS Housing Status Questions
Where do you typically sleep at night?
• At home with my parents or guardians
Housed
• At a friend's or relative's home with my parents or
guardians
• In a supervised shelter with my parents or guardians
• In a hotel or motel, car, park, campground, or other
public place with my parents or guardians
Homeless
with Family
• At a friend's or relative's home without my
parents or guardians
• In a supervised shelter without my parents or
guardians
• In a hotel or motel, car, park, campground, or
other public place without my parents or
guardians
Homeless
Without Family
(Unaccompanied
Youth)
Housing Status
Ever Homeless
Sleep Away From Home With a Parent
Sleep Away From Home Without a Parent
(Unaccompanied Youth)
Kicked out, Thrown Out,
Ran Away, or Abandoned
(in the last 30 days)
Prevalence
7.6%
(n = 2,606)
3.5%
(n = 1,215)
2.7%
(n = 948)
11.1%
(n = 3,834)
Where
Sleeping at
Night
Homeless with Unaccompanied
Youth
Family
At a relative’s
or friend’s
86.6%
80.5%
In a shelter
13.4%
15.1%
0%
4.4%
In a
hotel/motel/
campground
or other public
place
Youth Experiencing Homelessness:
PIT Compared to YRBS
Massachusetts
PIT: 68
YRBS: 12,541
Philadelphia
PIT: 17
YRBS: 2,163
Los Angeles, CA
PIT: 366
YRBS: 34,370
Do you think this is something you could
do in your community?
Impact
(or why it matters…)
Interpersonal/Sexual Violence
Physical Abuse
Sexual Abuse
Sexual Exploitation
Bullying
Substance Use/Abuse
Smoking
Alcohol
Marijuana
Mental Health
Depression
Anxiety
Self-injury Behaviors
Suicidal ideation
Suicide attempts
Academic Achievement/Engagement
Truancy
Poor academic performance
Poor engagement
High school dropout
Some youth are more vulnerable
than others…
LGBTQ
Unaccompanied
Aging out
Although youth experiencing homelessness
are more vulnerable to adverse outcomes,
many are resilient…
Based on your experiences, what do you
think promotes resiliency?
Policy & Practice
Addressing the Needs of Youth
Increasing Usage
Funding
Engagement
Research
Increasing the Use of the YRBS
Washington
Massachusetts
Wisconsin
California – In
Discussion
Connecticut
Hudson cty, NJ
Philadelphia
Delaware
Maryland
North
Carolina
Los Angeles, CA
Texas
Sample YRBS Questions
Maryland
Do your parents or guardians own
or rent the home or place where
you are living now?
During the past 12 months, did you
ever live away from your parents or
guardians because you were kicked
out, ran away, or were abandoned?
During the past 12 months, where
did you usually sleep at night?
North Carolina
Where do you typically
sleep at night?
Inclusion of LGQ Questions
Youth
All
Experiencing
Youth
Homelessness
LGBQ
Among
Homeless
Connecticut
171,469
10,035 (4%)
1,870 (31%)
Delaware
37,713
1,461 (4%)
339 (32%)
Funding to Address Needs of Youth
• Massachusetts:
– Partnership between a school district and their
local housing authority to house seniors in
exchange for a pledge to graduate high school.
– Statewide collaboration between CoC & Education
• Phila: $250,000 PUSH grant
• Grant proposals
Engagement Around Youth Issues
• Increased dialogue focused on youth
• National Consortium
• Youth Count! – Urban Institute recognition
• USICH – blog
• Future web site
Research
• Homeless Youth in Philadelphia: Prevalence
and Mental Health Risks Manuscript
• BMI manuscript (under review)
• Substance use manuscript (in progress)
• LGBTQ manuscript (in progress)
What resources/policies seem to be working
in your community?
What is still needed?
Thank You!
We greatly appreciate the time and insight of the
individuals who participated in the stakeholder
interviews and who contributed to this study.