{ "id": "RL33785", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "RL33785", "active": true, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 595489, "date": "2019-03-26", "retrieved": "2019-12-20T19:39:28.582495", "title": "Runaway and Homeless Youth: Demographics and Programs", "summary": "This report discusses runaway and homeless youth, and the federal response to support this population. There is no single definition of the terms \u201crunaway youth\u201d or \u201chomeless youth.\u201d However, both groups of youth share the risk of not having adequate shelter and other provisions, and may engage in harmful behaviors while away from a permanent home. \nYouth most often cite family conflict as the major reason for their homelessness or episodes of running away. A youth\u2019s sexual orientation, sexual activity, school problems, and substance abuse are associated with family discord. The precise number of homeless and runaway youth is unknown due to their residential mobility and overlap among the populations. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is supporting data collection efforts, known as Voices of Youth Count, to better determine the number of homeless youth. The 2017 study found that approximately 700,000 youth ages 13 to 17 and 3.5 million young adults ages 18 to 25 experienced homelessness within a 12-month period because they were sleeping in places not meant for habitation, in shelters, or with others while lacking alternative living arrangements. \nFrom the early 20th century through the 1960s, the needs of runaway and homeless youth were handled locally through the child welfare agency, juvenile justice courts, or both. The 1970s marked a shift toward federal oversight of programs that help youth who had run afoul of the law, including those who committed status offenses (i.e., a noncriminal act that is considered a violation of the law because of the youth\u2019s age). The Runaway Youth Act of 1974 was enacted as Title III of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (P.L. 93-415) to assist runaways through services specifically for this population. The act was amended over time to include homeless youth. It authorizes funding for services carried out under the Runaway and Homeless Youth Program (RHYP), which is administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The program was most recently authorized through FY2020 by the Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-385). This law did not make other changes to the RHYP statute. Funding is discretionary, meaning provided through the appropriations process. FY2019 appropriations are $127.4 million. \nThe RHYP program is made up of three components: the Basic Center Program (BCP), Transitional Living Program (TLP), and Street Outreach Program (SOP). The BCP provides temporary shelter, counseling, and after care services to runaway and homeless youth under age 18 and their families. In FY2017, the program served 23,288 youth, and in FY2018 it funded 280 BCP shelters (most recent figures available). The TLP is targeted to older youth ages 16 through 22 (and sometimes an older age). In FY2017, the TLP program served 3,517 youth, and in FY2018 it funded 299 grantees (most recent figures available). Youth who use the TLP receive longer-term housing with supportive services. The SOP provides education, treatment, counseling, and referrals for runaway, homeless, and street youth who have been subjected to, or are at risk of being subjected to, sexual abuse, sex exploitation, and trafficking. In FY2017, the SOP grantees made contact with 24,366 youth.\nThe RHYP is a part of larger federal efforts to end youth homelessness through the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH). The USICH is a coordinating body made up of multiple federal agencies committed to addressing homelessness. The USICH\u2019s Opening Doors plan to end homelessness includes strategies for ending youth homelessness by 2020, including through collecting better data and supporting evidence-based practices to improve youth outcomes. Voices of Youth Count is continuing to report on characteristics of homeless youth. In addition to the RHYP, there are other federal supports to address youth homelessness. HUD\u2019s Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program is funding a range of housing options for youth, in selected urban and rural communities. Other federal programs have enabled homeless youth to access services, including those related to education and family violence.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/RL33785", "sha1": "2bf6219b144d625bdad394687556a07eb484c867", "filename": "files/20190326_RL33785_2bf6219b144d625bdad394687556a07eb484c867.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=RL/html/RL33785_files&id=/0.png": "files/20190326_RL33785_images_52fb1cc142c8687763a2c8081c2bb9bd13a7877a.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL33785", "sha1": "337cf9dc74e6187a89caf87a7dddf220385089aa", "filename": "files/20190326_RL33785_337cf9dc74e6187a89caf87a7dddf220385089aa.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4864, "name": "Youth & Transition to Adulthood" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4934, "name": "Sex Offenses & Victims of Crime" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 580551, "date": "2018-04-26", "retrieved": "2018-05-01T14:12:34.810398", "title": "Runaway and Homeless Youth: Demographics and Programs", "summary": "This report discusses runaway and homeless youth, and the federal response to support this population. There is no single definition of the terms \u201crunaway youth\u201d or \u201chomeless youth.\u201d However, both groups of youth share the risk of not having adequate shelter and other provisions, and may engage in harmful behaviors while away from a permanent home. These two groups also include \u201cthrownaway\u201d youth who are asked to leave their homes, and may include other vulnerable youth populations, such as current and former foster youth and youth with mental health or other issues. The term \u201cunaccompanied youth\u201d encompasses both runaways and homeless youth, and is used in national data counts of the population. \nYouth most often cite family conflict as the major reason for their homelessness or episodes of running away. A youth\u2019s sexual orientation, sexual activity, school problems, and substance abuse are associated with family discord. The precise number of homeless and runaway youth is unknown due to their residential mobility and overlap among the populations. Determining the number of these youth is further complicated by the lack of a standardized methodology for counting the population and inconsistent definitions of what it means to be homeless or a runaway. According to a federally funded study, over 4 million youth ages 13 through 25 experienced a form of homelessness over a 12-month period. \nFrom the early 20th century through the 1960s, the needs of runaway and homeless youth were handled locally through the child welfare agency, juvenile justice courts, or both. The 1970s marked a shift toward federal oversight of programs that help youth who had run afoul of the law, including those who committed status offenses (e.g., running away). Congress and the President enacted the Runaway Youth Act of 1974 as Title III of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (P.L. 93-415) to assist runaways through services specifically for this population. These services are provided through the federal Runaway and Homeless Youth Program. The program has been updated through reauthorization laws, most recently by the Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act (P.L. 110-378) in 2008. The program is funded through the annual appropriations process. The authorization of appropriations expired in FY2013. Congress and the President have continued to provide funds for the act: $127.4 million was appropriated for FY2018. \nThe Runaway and Homeless Youth program is made up of three components: the Basic Center Program (BCP), Transitional Living Program (TLP), and Street Outreach Program (SOP). The Basic Center Program provides temporary shelter, counseling, and after care services to runaway and homeless youth under age 18 and their families. The BCP has served approximately 31,000 youth annually in recent years. The Transitional Living Program is targeted to older youth ages 16 through 22 (and sometimes an older age), and has served approximately 6,000 annually in recent years. Youth who use the TLP receive longer-term housing with supportive services. The SOP provides education, treatment, counseling, and referrals for runaway, homeless, and street youth who have been subjected to or are at risk of being subjected to sexual abuse, sex exploitation, and trafficking. The SOP makes contact with about 36,000 street youth annually. \nRelated services authorized by the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act include a national communication system to facilitate communication between service providers, runaway youth, and their families; training and technical support for grantees; and evaluations of the programs, among other activities. The 2008 reauthorization expanded the program, requiring HHS to conduct an incidence and prevalence study of runaway and homeless youth. Congress and the President provided appropriations to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the study, and initial findings were published in 2017. Additional efforts are underway among multiple federal agencies to collect better information on these youth as part of a larger strategy to end youth homelessness by 2020. In addition to the Runaway and Homeless Youth Program, other federal programs support runaway and homeless youth.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/RL33785", "sha1": "83707c48cfc3090c133b7df60ccfc95f9048b9fb", "filename": "files/20180426_RL33785_83707c48cfc3090c133b7df60ccfc95f9048b9fb.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=RL/html/RL33785_files&id=/0.png": "files/20180426_RL33785_images_0f5f4dabb7d8d7ea097fca3c42de6e80cec39eb6.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL33785", "sha1": "676b035d1d50934537fa6d11ab7990fc91d9ac76", "filename": "files/20180426_RL33785_676b035d1d50934537fa6d11ab7990fc91d9ac76.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4864, "name": "Youth & Transition to Adulthood" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4934, "name": "Sex Offenses & Victims of Crime" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 453374, "date": "2016-06-13", "retrieved": "2016-06-21T21:03:50.321819", "title": "Runaway and Homeless Youth: Demographics and Programs", "summary": "This report discusses runaway and homeless youth, and the federal response to support this population. There is no single definition of the terms \u201crunaway youth\u201d or \u201chomeless youth.\u201d However, both groups of youth share the risk of not having adequate shelter and other provisions, and may engage in harmful behaviors while away from a permanent home. These two groups also include \u201cthrownaway\u201d youth who are asked to leave their homes, and may include other vulnerable youth populations, such as current and former foster youth and youth with mental health or other issues. The term \u201cunaccompanied youth\u201d encompasses both runaways and homeless youth, and is used in national data counts of the population. \nYouth most often cite family conflict as the major reason for their homelessness or episodes of running away. A youth\u2019s sexual orientation, sexual activity, pregnancy, school problems, and alcohol and drug use are strong predictors of family discord. The precise number of homeless and runaway youth is unknown due to their residential mobility and overlap among the populations. Determining the number of these youth is further complicated by the lack of a standardized methodology for counting the population and inconsistent definitions of what it means to be homeless or a runaway. Estimates of the homeless youth exceed 1 million. Estimates of runaway youth\u2014including \u201cthrownaway\u201d youth (youth asked or forced to leave their homes)\u2014are between 1 million and 1.7 million in a given year.\nFrom the early 20th century through the 1960s, the needs of runaway and homeless youth were handled locally through the child welfare agency, juvenile justice courts, or both. The 1970s marked a shift toward federal oversight of programs that help youth who had run afoul of the law, including those who committed status offenses (i.e., running away). Congress passed the Runaway Youth Act of 1974 as Title III of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (P.L. 93-415) to assist runaways through services specifically for this population. The federal Runaway and Homeless Youth Program (RHYP) has since been expanded through reauthorization laws enacted approximately every five years since the 1970s, most recently by the Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act (P.L. 110-378) in 2008. Funding authorization expired in FY2013, and Congress has continued to appropriate funding for the act: $119.1 million was appropriated for FY2016.\nThe Runaway and Homeless Youth program is made up of three components: the Basic Center Program (BCP), Transitional Living Program (TLP), and Street Outreach Program (SOP). The Basic Center Program provides temporary shelter, counseling, and after care services to runaway and homeless youth under age 18 and their families. The BCP has served approximately 31,000 to 36,000 annually in recent years. The Transitional Living Program is targeted to older youth ages 16 through 22 (and sometimes an older age), and has served approximately 3,000 to 3,500 youth annually in recent years. Youth who use the TLP receive longer-term housing with supportive services. The SOP provides education, treatment, counseling, and referrals for runaway, homeless, and street youth who have been subjected to or are at risk of being subjected to sexual abuse, sex exploitation, and trafficking. Each year, the SOP makes hundreds of thousands of contacts with street youth (some of whom have multiple contacts). Related services authorized by the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act include a national communication system to facilitate communication between service providers, runaway youth, and their families; training and technical support for grantees; and evaluations of the programs, among other activities. The 2008 reauthorizing legislation expanded the program, requiring HHS to conduct an incidence and prevalence study of runaway and homeless youth. To date, this study has not been conducted; however, efforts are underway among multiple federal agencies to collect better information on these youth as part of a larger strategy to end youth homelessness by 2020.\nIn addition to the Runaway and Homeless Youth Program, other federal programs support runaway and homeless youth, such as the Education for Homeless Children and Youth program and the Chafee Foster Care Independent Living program for foster youth.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/RL33785", "sha1": "238f477391a497695997f3a5887dbcf56c9cdf7b", "filename": "files/20160613_RL33785_238f477391a497695997f3a5887dbcf56c9cdf7b.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL33785", "sha1": "fee163ea95db48cf0f586d05186887eaaafa0c25", "filename": "files/20160613_RL33785_fee163ea95db48cf0f586d05186887eaaafa0c25.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 2651, "name": "Child Well-Being" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 3927, "name": "Missing and Sexually Exploited Individuals" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 437266, "date": "2015-01-20", "retrieved": "2016-04-06T19:38:38.304596", "title": "Runaway and Homeless Youth: Demographics and Programs", "summary": "There is no single definition of the terms \u201crunaway youth\u201d or \u201chomeless youth.\u201d However, both groups of youth share the risk of not having adequate shelter and other provisions, and may engage in harmful behaviors while away from a permanent home. These two groups also include \u201cthrownaway\u201d youth who are asked to leave their homes, and may include other vulnerable youth populations, such as current and former foster youth and youth with mental health or other issues.\nYouth most often cite family conflict as the major reason for their homelessness or episodes of running away. A youth\u2019s relationship with a step-parent, sexual activity, sexual orientation, pregnancy, school problems, and alcohol and drug use are strong predictors of family discord. The precise number of homeless and runaway youth is unknown due to their residential mobility and overlap among the populations. Determining the number of these youth is further complicated by the lack of a standardized methodology for counting the population and inconsistent definitions of what it means to be homeless or a runaway. Estimates of the homeless youth exceed 1 million. Estimates of runaway youth\u2014including \u201cthrownaway\u201d youth (youth asked or forced to leave their homes)\u2014are between 1 million and 1.7 million in a given year.\nFrom the early 20th century through the 1960s, the needs of runaway and homeless youth were handled locally through the child welfare agency, juvenile justice courts, or both. The 1970s marked a shift toward federal oversight of programs that help youth who had run afoul of the law, including those who committed status offenses (i.e., running away). In 1974, Congress passed the Runaway Youth Act of 1974 as Title III of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (P.L. 93-415) to assist runaways through services specifically for this population. The federal Runaway and Homeless Youth Program (RHYP) has since been expanded through reauthorization laws enacted approximately every five years since the 1970s, most recently by the Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act (P.L. 110-378) in 2008. Funding authorization expired in FY2013, and Congress has continued to appropriate funding for the act: $114.1 million was appropriated for FY2015.\nThe Runaway and Homeless Youth program is made up of three components\u2014the Basic Center Program, Transitional Living Program, and Street Outreach Program. The Basic Center Program provides temporary shelter, counseling, and after care services to runaway and homeless youth under age 18 and their families. The BCP has served approximately 31,000 to 36,000 annually in recent years. The Transitional Living Program is targeted to older youth ages 16 through 22 (and sometimes an older age), and has served approximately 3,000 to 3,500 youth annually in recent years. Youth who use the TLP receive longer-term housing with supportive services. The Street Outreach Program provides education, treatment, counseling, and referrals for runaway, homeless, and street youth who have been subjected to or are at risk of being subjected to sexual abuse and exploitation. Each year, the SOP makes hundreds of thousands of contacts with street youth (some of whom have multiple contacts). Related services authorized by the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act include a national communication system to facilitate communication between service providers, runaway youth, and their families; training and technical support for grantees; and evaluations of the programs, among other activities. The 2008 reauthorizing legislation expanded the program, requiring HHS to conduct an incidence and prevalence study of runaway and homeless youth. To date, this study has not been conducted; however, efforts are underway among multiple federal agencies to collect better information on these youth as part of a larger strategy to end youth homelessness by 2020.\nIn addition to the Runaway and Homeless Youth Program, other federal programs support runaway and homeless youth, such as the Education for Homeless Children and Youth program and the Chafee Foster Care Independent Living program for foster youth.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/RL33785", "sha1": "f9b1ed0124bedea631f71fa283d7434df51432be", "filename": "files/20150120_RL33785_f9b1ed0124bedea631f71fa283d7434df51432be.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL33785", "sha1": "36d76e8d78620228ebc1c48c73683056cd72be8c", "filename": "files/20150120_RL33785_36d76e8d78620228ebc1c48c73683056cd72be8c.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 2651, "name": "Child Well-Being" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 3927, "name": "Missing and Sexually Exploited Individuals" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc818936/", "id": "RL33785_2010May20", "date": "2010-05-20", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "Runaway and Homeless Youth: Demographics and Programs", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20100520_RL33785_6d210f3eafc00253b1bcc38965bb96fcef138256.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20100520_RL33785_6d210f3eafc00253b1bcc38965bb96fcef138256.html" } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc818473/", "id": "RL33785_2008Oct14", "date": "2008-10-14", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "Runaway and Homeless Youth: Demographics and Programs", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20081014_RL33785_b5db1c0ae95b00545f2c3dc97d71feba69e733b4.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20081014_RL33785_b5db1c0ae95b00545f2c3dc97d71feba69e733b4.html" } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc816214/", "id": "RL33785_2007Dec10", "date": "2007-12-10", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "Runaway and Homeless Youth: Demographics, Programs, and Emerging Issues", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20071210_RL33785_5cf9722a6be2f1de5365116342009d56108cd1f2.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20071210_RL33785_5cf9722a6be2f1de5365116342009d56108cd1f2.html" } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc820254/", "id": "RL33785_2007Jun15", "date": "2007-06-15", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "Runaway and Homeless Youth: Demographics, Programs, and Emerging Issues", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20070615_RL33785_998803589e285a5a6081f39535571bd1f632d1b4.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20070615_RL33785_998803589e285a5a6081f39535571bd1f632d1b4.html" } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc806460/", "id": "RL33785_2007Jan08", "date": "2007-01-08", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "Runaway and Homeless Youth: Demographics, Programs, and Emerging Issues", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20070108_RL33785_9f8c5ada0b7ac2b313f1f86fef739f7208647829.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20070108_RL33785_9f8c5ada0b7ac2b313f1f86fef739f7208647829.html" } ], "topics": [] } ], "topics": [ "Appropriations", "Domestic Social Policy" ] }