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AHO
Missed Opportunities: Youth Homelessness in America
As reported by Adriane Brown of the University of Chicago News, one in ten young adults experience homelessness during one year. This new Chapin Hall study reveals insights into hidden and under-served populations.
“A groundbreaking study released Nov. 15 by Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago reveals one in 10 young adults between the ages of 18 and 25, and at least one in 30 adolescents between the ages of 13 and 17, experience some form of homelessness over the course of a year.
“This study captures youth homelessness broadly, including situations such as sleeping on the streets, in shelters, running away and couch surfing. “Missed Opportunities: Youth Homelessness in America” demonstrates the diverse circumstances of young people who experience homelessness, identifies who is most at risk and illuminates a nationwide problem cutting across rural and urban areas alike.”
According to the study’s one page summary (CLICK HERE FOR COPY):
Adolescence and young adulthood represent a key developmental window. Every day of housing instability and the associated stress represents a missed opportunity to support healthy development and transitions to productive adulthood. Voices of Youth Count gives voice to young people across our nation who lack the necessary supports to achieve independence and make their unique contributions to our society.
Through multiple methods and research angles, Voices of Youth Count sought to capture and understand the voices and experiences of thousands of young people. While the deprivation of housing stability was the common thread in Voices of Youth Count research, the stories of youth homelessness—and the opportunities for intervention—rarely centered on housing alone.
Every experience, every youth, was unique. Their experiences ranged widely in duration, sleeping arrangements, safety, and circumstances. With the data gained through Voices of Youth Count, we can better understand the challenge so that we can develop more effective policy and practice.
Missed Opportunities: National Estimates summarizes the results of the Voices of Youth Count national survey that estimates the percentage of United States youth, ages 13 to 25, who have experienced unaccompanied homelessness at least once during a recent 12-month period. The survey captured homelessness experiences broadly, including couch surfing in addition to arrangements like sleeping on the streets, in cars, or in shelters.
Until now, one major challenge to putting solutions in place has been the lack of credible data on the size and characteristics of the youth population who experience homelessness and a way to track how this population changes over time. Without credible numbers and deeper understanding, it has been difficult for the nation to develop a well-resourced and tailored response to address this hidden problem in our communities.
Results show:
Ambassadors of Hope and Opportunity (AHO) is Marin’s only nonprofit serving homeless youth in Marin. Our work is preventative, cost effective, comprehensive and a successful model for other communities. This study by the University of Chicago’s Chapin Hall shows the enormous growing trend of youth becoming homeless. AHO has been on the forefront of working to reverse this growing trend, for the past 14 years.
AHO is a relationship based – community driven engagement program model and want more opportunities for our Youth Team Speakers Bureau to present in schools, organizations and business to help galvanize community into the solution.
AHO’s Youth Team’s Town Hall Forum in 2017 invited Senator McGuire to host and participate in to educate the community on this issue. See the costs for incarceration vs AHO that serves youth ages 18 to 25 so they don’t become the adult homeless or incarcerated. See the 101 highway sign as a reminder for everyone to begin taking personal action on this issue.
Stanford’s study “Connected by 25” reports that if youth do not receive the resources and emotional support they need by age 25, they are 50% more likely to end up as a homeless adult or incarcerated.
Portions of the original study republished here by permission of the University of Chicago Chapin Hall.