In order to prevent and end youth homelessness for the 46,000 homeless youth on a given night, our previous two blog posts have described the characteristics of homeless youth and the causes and contributors to youth homelessness from our new report, Without a Home and More: Homeless Youth Count 2015.

In this blog post, we are going to summarize the characteristics of homelessness of the youth who were surveyed in the fifteen locations that are discussed in more detail in our new report: the locations for the night surveyed, aspects of time related to their homelessness, prior living situations, and their safety.

Homeless youth surveyed stayed in various sheltered and unsheltered locations on the night surveyors questioned the homeless youth about their housing status.  Overall, a median of 22% and between 4% and 89% of homeless youth were in unsheltered locations.  Also, a median of 36% and between 11% and 77% of homeless youth were in shelters/emergency shelters or transitional housing/transitional living.  In addition, surveyed youth reported staying in unstable living situations.  A median of 20% and between 10% and 64% of homeless youth were unstably housed including staying with friends, short-term with relatives, a girlfriend/boyfriend/partner, on a couch, or in a hotel or motel.  One percent of homeless youth surveyed were in a hospital, prison, or detention facility.  In Connecticut, 4% of homeless youth surveyed reported they were in a foster home and 2% of homeless youth surveyed reported they were in a treatment facility.  Also, a small percentage of surveyed youth reported staying in more permanent living situations.  Between 1% and 6% of homeless youth surveyed were in a parent’s home, relative’s home, foster parent home, or dorm without the expectation of leaving soon.  In Chicago, 12% of homeless youth surveyed reported that they were in permanent housing for homeless or low-income persons.

Most of the unsheltered homeless youth had stayed outdoors on the night surveyors questioned the homeless youth about their housing status.  In the four locations that assessed specific unsheltered locations, between 69% and 87% of unsheltered homeless youth surveyed spent the night outside.  In a few locations, between approximately 6% and 76% of unsheltered homeless youth surveyed had spent the night on public transportation, between 4% and 13% spent the night in a car, RV, or van, between 9% and 13% spent the night in a garage or storage structure, between 6% and 11% spent the night in an abandoned building, and 6% stayed inside a business such as a restaurant or bar.

Homeless and unstably housed youth vary in the length of time they have spent in their current housing situation, from less than a day to several years.  In the four locations that assessed this length of time, between 3% and 50% had spent less than a month, between 22% and 54% had spent 1 to 12 months, and between 12% and 31% had spent more than a year in their current housing situation.  At least some surveyed youth had spent more than a week in a shelter and at least a year without shelter on the streets or in a shelter.

Many homeless youth have experienced more than one episode of homelessness.  In the three locations that assessed the number with prior homelessness, between 55% and 68% of homeless youth surveyed reported they had been homeless on a prior occasion.

Some homeless youth first became homeless at very young ages.  Homeless youth reported first becoming homeless at age 6 years old and 11 years old and between 38% and 54% reported first becoming homeless before the age of 18.

Homeless youth have unstable living situations and are not able to stay in the same location for very long and homeless youth without shelter have even greater instability in their living situations.  In different places, more than one-fourth of homeless youth surveyed reported more than four shelter stays, staying in four or more places in the past month, and moving six or more times in the past two years.

Youth live in a variety of locations immediately before, during the month before,
during the three months before, and during the twelve months before they become homeless.  The most commonly reported location homeless youth surveyed lived before becoming homeless was in their own home or with family or friends.  Overall, a median of 10% and between 3% and 83% of homeless youth surveyed reported living in their own home and between 30% and 54% reported living with family or friends before becoming homeless.  Many homeless youth have lived in foster care before becoming homeless.  Overall, between 3% and 5% of homeless youth reported living in a foster care/group home before becoming homeless.  Homeless youth have also stayed in medical, treatment, juvenile detention, jail, and prison facilities before becoming homeless.  Overall, between 2% and 11% of homeless youth surveyed reported staying in a hospital, treatment, juvenile detention, jail, or prison facility before becoming homeless.

Many youth surveyed were already homeless in shelters, structures not meant for
living, or outside or staying in a hotel or motel before their current episode of homelessness.  Overall, between 1% and 11% of homeless youth surveyed reported staying in a hotel or motel and between 4% and 72% reported staying in a shelter or transitional housing before becoming homeless.  Finally, between 5% and 10% reported staying on a bus or subway, in a car or RV, or in an abandoned or foreclosed building in different locations and between 4% and 35% reported staying outside.

Some homeless youth face potentially  traumatic and unsafe actions to try and obtain housing, food, or other basic needs.  In the two locations that assessed survival behaviors, between 17% and 24% of homeless youth surveyed reported exchanging sex.

Some homeless youth are living in unsafe locations.  In the four locations that
assessed feelings of safety, between 7% and 21% reported not currently feeling safe.

Many homeless youth have experienced physical, sexual, and emotional abuse since becoming homeless.  In a location that assessed abuse since becoming homeless, between 24% and 46% of homeless youth reported experiencing physical, sexual, or emotional abuse since becoming homeless.  Although homeless youth are living in unsafe locations where they experience physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, homeless youth surveyed experienced lower levels of abuse since becoming homeless and more decreases in the frequency of abuse.

To prevent and end homelessness of the nation’s youth, the characteristics of the
locations, duration, repetitiveness, and potentially traumatic exposures of youth homelessness must be assessed to reduce exposure to unsafe and traumatic experiences, decrease recurrences of homelessness, and provide targeted assistance to meet needs.  The report and upcoming blogs will describe additional facets that should be addressed to reduce youth homelessness.