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Act defines an unaccompanied homeless

home environment. Whatever the reason for

youth as a youth whose living situation is not

the youth leaving home, acute family conflict,

“fixed, regular, and adequate,” (homeless)

which may involve physical, sexual, or mental

and who is “not in the physical custody of a

abuse, is often present

. Across studies of

parent or guardian” (unaccompanied). The Act

homeless youth, 17 to 53 percent of the youth

provides examples of living arrangements that

cite experiences of sexual abuse, while 40 to

would be considered homeless, including living

60 percent cite experiences of physical abuse

in emergency and transitional shelters, living

Some unaccompanied youth also mention

doubled-up with others due to loss of housing,

the absence of a parent or guardian due to

and living on the street or in a car (see sidebar

incarceration, deployment, or death.

on page 1 for the full definition of homeless). By

Further, there is a strong connection between

far, the most common type of living situation

homelessness and foster care. Some children

for unaccompanied homeless youth is that of

and youth enter the foster care system because

living doubled-up, often bouncing between the

their parents, in addition to experiencing

homes of different relatives or friends (“couch-

homelessness, are unable to care for them.

surfing”). The U.S. Department of Education’s

Many youth end up homeless because they

federal data for the 2009-2010 school year show

run away from foster care with the hopes of

that approximately 72 percent of homeless

reuniting with their biological family or escaping

children and youth identified by school districts

a problematic foster placement. Numerous

live in doubled-up situations

others will age out of the foster care system and

be launched abruptly into adulthood. Many

The Numbers

of these youth will lack the skills necessary for

independent adult living and yet also lack a

Unaccompanied homeless youth include

reliable support system to help them make the

those who have run away from home or have

transition.

been asked to leave home by a parent or

guardian. The National Runaway Switchboard

estimates that between 1.6 and 2.8 million youth

The Barriers

experience a runaway/throwaway episode

Unaccompanied homeless youth often live in

annually

. While some of these young people

high-risk environments, putting them in danger

may return home shortly after leaving, others will

of experiencing a wide variety of problems.

live on their own long-term or even permanently.

In many cases, the youth have been living

Difficulty in collecting data on mobile

apart from their parents for several years, either

populations and youths’ reluctance to

staying off and on with friends and relatives

admit their precarious living situations create

or living on the street. Some of the challenges

challenges in determining the true scope of the

unaccompanied homeless youth face are:

problem; however, it is likely that numbers are

Lack of financial means to live

•

much higher than have been documented.

independently and safely

Unaccompanied youth often are unable

Paths to Being on Their Own

to meet their basic needs for shelter,

food, clothing, and health care. Many

One of the most common reasons that youth

also face barriers created by a lack of

end up unaccompanied and homeless is family

transportation.

conflict. In some instances, youth are forced

Limited housing options, especially in

out of the home by their parents; other times,

•

small towns or rural areas

youth leave home because they feel unsafe

or are unwilling to continue living in a difficult

Most unaccompanied youth depend on

1 National Center for Homeless Education. [2011). Education for Homeless Children

3 Moore, J. (2005). Unaccompanied and homeless youth: Review of literature

and Youth Program Data Collection Summary. Retrieved April 18, 2012, from

(1995-2005). Retrieved August 9, 2010, from

downloads/uy_lit_review.pdf.

2 National Runaway Switchboard. [2010). Why They Run: An In-depth Look

4 National Alliance to End Homelessness. (2010). America’s Homeless Youth:

at America’s Runaway Youth. Retrieved August 9, 2010, from

National Policy Update March 2010. Retrieved August 9, 2010, from

National Center for Homeless Education □

Increasing Access To Higher Education For Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Information - National Center For Homeless Education Page 2

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