Runaway and Throwaway Youth: Time for Policy Changes and Public Responsibility

Autor/in	Colby, Ira
Titel	Runaway and Throwaway Youth: Time for Policy Changes and Public Responsibility
Quelle	In: Journal of Applied Research on Children, 2 (2011) 1, Artikel 4 (12 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	2155-5834
Schlagwörter	Runaways; Homeless People; Public Policy; Federal Legislation; Child Safety; Child Health; Sexual Abuse; Violence; Risk; Victims of Crime + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausreißer; Homeless person; Homeless persons; Obdachloser; Öffentliche Ordnung; Bundesrecht; Sexueller Missbrauch; Gewalt; Risiko; Victim; Victims; Crime; Opfer; Verbrechen
Abstract	The traditional American dream of owning a home, obtaining a college education, and working at a good, paying job is only that, a dream, for scores of homeless youth in America today. There is a growing street population of young people who have been thrown out of their homes by their caretakers or their families, and who face life-threatening situations each day. For these youth, the furthest thing in their lives is reaching the so-called "American Dream;" and their most immediate need is survival, simply living out the day in front of them. They have few options that lead to a decent and safe living environment. Their age, lack of work experience, and absence of a high school diploma make it most difficult to find a job. As a result, they turn to other means for survival; runaways and throwaways are most vulnerable to falling prey to the sex trade, selling drugs, or being lured into human trafficking, and some steal or panhandle. Street youth end up spending their nights in bus stations or finding a room in an abandoned building or an empty stairwell to sleep. Attempting to identify a specific number of homeless youth is difficult at best, but what is even more perplexing is our continued inability to effectively protect our children. We are left with a basic question framed by the fundamental tenets of justice: what is a community's responsibility to its youth who, for whatever reason, end up living on the streets or in unsafe, abusive environments? The purpose of this paper is to briefly outline the characteristics of homeless youth, in particular differentiating between throwaways and runaways; explore the current federal response to homeless youth; and finally, address the nagging question that swirls around all children: can we aggressively aspire to be a community where every child is healthy and safe, and able to realize his or her fullest potential? (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01