The Homeless Population Becoming Homeless Essay

The Homeless Population Becoming Homeless Essay

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Homelessness….. Many assume those who are homeless took part in some type of drug or alcohol abuse which lead them to become homeless. It is an ongoing situation that has not been fully resolved in order to lower the risk of individuals of the youth population becoming homeless. The age group for homeless individuals who qualify as youth is nineteen years of age and under. In the United States, dysfunctional families are occurring more frequent, which is a vital reason adolescents are running away from their homes. This alone puts many of our youth at risk of becoming homeless. When adolescents leave their homes, it decreases their chances of having a smooth transition into adulthood. Some adolescents may leave their home because of the mistreatment they are receiving from their parent/guardian, or even being abandoned by parents. Furthermore, some of the youth homeless population may not have an actual housing arrangement, which may lead them to foster care homes. Inadequate foster care homes and the lack of guidance from caregivers increases the likelihood that more of our youth could become homeless.


According to the McKinney Act, A person is considered homeless who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence (Stewart B. McKinney Act, 42 U.S.C 11301. Et seq. 1994). There are facts and myths the haunts our displaced citizens, as a result of these belief the homeless youth population as has been stereotype and/or ostracized based on their circumstances. We will explore these myths to alleviate the misbelief or misunderstanding of this exclusive population of communal and societal members. There is a misconception that the homeless youth are solely blamable for their own circumstance...

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... some were being pushed out of their homes by their parent(s), guardians, or foster parents. The shelter staff reported that many of the youth that were pushed out, and abandoned sustained psychological and behavioral problems from physical and verbal abuse, maltreatment, and family violence they experienced.
Dysfunctional families was the main point of why the population of homeless youth continued to grow in the 1990’s. In two studies conducted in the 1980s, one found that only 10 percent of a sample of homeless youth came from families receiving public assistance and the other reported that 11 percent of homeless youth seen in shelters came from families in which unemployment was a problem (Somllar, 1999). One study reported that 40 percent of the families of the homeless youth who lived in shelters or on the streets were receiving public assistance or housing.

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