Epidemic of Youth Homelessness

Over 21,000 students in Washington State were homeless in 2009-2010. This represents a 5% increase from the previous year and a 56.5% increase from 2005-2006, according to a recent report from the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The number of students living in motels was up by 12%, and those living with friends and relatives increased by 9%. Actual numbers are probably much higher due to the difficulty in accurately acquiring this data and the fact that many families hide their homelessness due to the stigma that is attached to being homeless.

The data for Washington are appalling, but not unique. One out of every 50 American children (1.5 million) are homeless. However, most of these live in one of 11 states. Washington is far from the worst, ranking 25th in the number of homeless children. The 10 states with the greatest percentages of homeless youth (in worsening order) are: California, Mississippi, Kentucky, Florida, North Carolina, Nevada, Louisiana, New Mexico, Arkansas, Georgia, and Texas. In California, more than 200,000 teens between the ages of 12 and 17 are homeless on an any given night, with only 1,000 shelter beds available for teens. Homeless youth are often turned away or harassed at adult homeless shelters.

For the complete article, please go to http://modeducation.blogspot.com/2011/01/epidemic-of-youth-homelessness.html