Serving Youth in an Economic Downturn
Youth Homelessness in Today’s Tough Economy
How Big is the Problem?
Some areas of the country have not seen increases in young clients, but networks of youth-serving professionals are certainly talking about it.
We have seen an increase in families coming to us requesting temporary assistance for them or their children because of the economy, but we’re trying to track this so that it’s not just anecdotal,” says Stephen Bardy, executive director of Safe Harbor Runaway Center, in West Palm Beach, Florida, which runs a street outreach program and a basic center program. Ten of the basic center’s 16 beds were filled at the writing of this article.
“I’m hearing a lot of it,” says Bardy, referring to his colleagues talking about the economy driving more youth to their shelters. “I’m not sure we’re seeing it. But because it’s happened and we’ve not experienced this before, more people are talking about it, and in talking about people are making it larger.”
Indeed media reports have tracked decreases in youth homelessness in pockets around the country, but the problem is real—and growing, says Steve Berg, vice president for programs and policy for the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Part of the difficulty in knowing how many youth have recently become homeless lies in the fact that youth have always been more difficult to count than adults. Many don’t want to be found. But so far the scant data from schools and other organizations tracking trends matches the anecdotal evidence that youth workers are talking about, he says.
Swell in Numbers Takes Toll on Agency Services >> |
