Studies in the area of homelessness and youth in Los Angeles have been very limited. This video presents research as well as what seems to be going on locally in Los Angeles County based upon news reports about homeless youth. The video also includes information about public policy and programs for homeless youth and suggestions for improved national legislation.
Hello and welcome. My name is Susana A. Lopez, PhD, psychology post-doc at the Nathanson Family Resilience Center, UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. This presentation was created by myself and Norweeta Milburn, PhD. We are excited to present on this subject in commemoration of homeless awareness week.
Studies in this area have been very limited. We will be presenting on what we now from research as well as what seems to be going on locally here in Los Angeles County based upon news reports about homeless youth. Homeless youth have been increasing in the recent years, nearly 2 million youth are homeless in the United States every year. Many return home but some do not. About 380,000 remain away from more than one week and 131,000 remain gone for over 1 month.
We will talk about public policy and programs for homeless youth. Here are some suggestions for public policy as well as national legislation and programs that have the potential to impact youth homelessness. The National Alliance to End Homelessness proposes several programs and budgets including:
The Runaway and Homeless Youth Act funds local providers to address the needs of homeless youth. There are several example to this program. The Street Outreach program would allow workers to go into the community, approach youth and provide them with referrals and services. The Basic Center program provides them basic shelter and counseling services to reunify the youth with their families and the Transitional Loving program allows youth ages 16-21 to reside in housing for up to 18 months while obtaining services such as employment, education and mental health assistance. The HUD also funds many youth-specific emergency shelter, permanent supportive housing and transitional living programs.
Some of the challenges homeless youth currently face are as follow. Research has shown one of the biggest conflicts they have is family conflict. In terms of chronic conflict with their parents or caregivers, as a result they may leave the home. Also there is a high increase of physical violence, abuse, neglect and trauma in homeless youth, inside and outside the home. Youth experience a number of challenges that contribute to them leaving or being forced out of home. Of particular note, is an estimated 20 percent to 40 percent of homeless youth, in various studies, identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning (LGBTQ). And non-acceptance of their LGBTQ status might be a factor to why they leave the home. Moreover, the lack of sufficient services, shelters and affordable housing for homeless people, in general, represents the current landscape of homelessness in the United States.
Systemic risks include the following: foster care system and juvenile and criminal justice system involvement. Foster youth are at high-risk of experiencing homelessness. Many youth who age out of foster care, experience an episode of homelessness within the first years thereafter. Involvement in the juvenile justice system is also a risk. Some homeless youth also have been involved in the juvenile justice system prior to and after becoming homeless. The relationship still needs to be further investigated.
Let us talk a little bit more about homeless youth in LA County. We have recent data on homeless youth in LA County that was conducted by Children’s Hospital Los Angeles in collaboration with youth servicing agencies that further underscores points that have been raised about youth homelessness. A comprehensive needs assessment was conducted with homeless youth, ages 12-15, who used services in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles. At the time, this was a focal area, because of the concentration of services and programs, where many homeless young people could be found. The profile of this sample showed that many of the youth had an increased risk for being victimized and many had foster care histories. The mean years of homelessness was 2.8 years, they had increased risk of victimization, mental health problems, substance abuse, sexual risk and educational difficulties, significant family problems as mentioned earlier and had child protective services involvement. Homeless youth continue to be criminalized even after all these barriers and factors in their lives. They are usually cited as breaking the law for engaging in basic needs such as sleeping or laying down in public spaces.
Some of the solutions Los Angeles has implemented currently have been the following. In Los Angeles County, there are only enough shelter beds for less than 1/3 of homeless people, so 2/3 of homeless people are left on the street. In July, the city of Los Angeles issued a new ordinance that is an example of the criminalization of youth and adult homelessness wherein they can be ticketed or with a misdemeanor for leaving their belongings in public spaces. The new ordinance states that homeless people are to remove their belongings within 24 hours. If not then they will lose everything they own including their medications and documents, as their possession will be impounded and returned once a fine is paid. Homeless people risk criminal prosecution or jail time if they resist the impoundment. This ordinance has not been enforced as of yet. Advocates believe this takes LA in the wrong direction and is not cost-effective.
Currently, $87 million of the $100 million per year the city of Los Angeles spends on homelessness already goes to law enforcement. That leaves just 13 million to actually help homeless individuals and much of that goes to outreach efforts rather than housing and treatment. As a response to this ordinance Sandy Banks, a journalist from the LA Times, states: “That approach seems hard-hearted to me. Many are young and on the run from troubled homes; most are addicts, alcoholics or have signs of mental illness. Shouldn't we offer a hand instead of handcuffs?” This is one perspective, however, as others, including home and business owners, note this is the correct way to address homelessness and advocate for harsher punishment if the law is not followed.
Let’s give a real example. This may seem like an extreme example, but this is an example of a situation in LA this year. The recent death of a homeless young man in Venice, Calif. which is part of LA County further illustrates the criminalization of youth homelessness. He was part of the Venice boardwalk homeless family. His friends report he had a “drinking problem” but that he was: ”working his way out of homelessness” by getting a job and making peace with his family. He had recent contact with his mother and was making plans to return home. Observers noted that he was “spanging” with his dog outside a bar when someone complained. He scuffled with police, was shot and killed by the police. “Spanging” is the street term for asking people for spare change. This young person was killed as an attempt to “restore order” after a person complained about his presence outside the bar.
These are some of the recommendations based on the literature and clinical data. (1) Making more funding available allowing for the much needed programs mentioned in the earlier slides. (2) Ensuring federal programs are structured to maximize efficiency that the funding goes to the appropriate peoples in order for it to be effective and accountable. (3) Invest in f family interventions and reunifications. Family intervention should be considered for early intervention as family interventions have demonstrated to improve housing and additional outcomes such as mental health, decreasing at-risk behaviors and suicidal thoughts. Reunification with their families when it is safe to do so. Runaway and Homeless Youth Act programs have strong focus on reunification and shows success in reunifying youth with their families which then allows them to come home and end the cycle of homelessness. (3) We also suggest affordable housing appropriate to the developmental needs. This may include transitional living programs or permanent supportive programs. Older homeless youth, ages 18 to 24 years who are transitional age youth can sign their own lease, access rapid re-housing, transitional housing or/and permanent supportive housing which includes connections to education, employment and supports to transitions to independent living as a young adult.
We need more accurate data on homeless youth in order to scale resources and interventions. We need large representative samples. Example, focusing only on “street youth” might limit the range of outcomes and limit ability to identify typologies. Also improving the child welfare response can increase overall efforts to prevent and end youth homelessness. In addition to improving outcomes of youth exiting foster care, the foster care staff should also target family intervention services to the families of minors who are at risk of leaving or being removed from home. Family services like counseling and adolescent development education can help youth return home safely.
To end, we would like to leave you with this quote from Jan Schakowsky, “There is a lot that happens around the world that we cannot control. We cannot stop earthquakes, we cannot prevent droughts, and we cannot prevent all conflict, but when we known where the hungry, the homeless and the sick exist, then we can help.”
Thank you.