Anecdotally, I can confirm your findings based on the families I've worked with and/or interviewed over the past 40 years. Not a pretty picture for most, understandably.
I'm wondering if you have a perspective on a maybe-interesting debate that cropped up again-and-again when we were trying to get these findings published. It boils down to, "Teens who run away, are kicked out, or abandoned are unaccompanied, but they might not be homeless. What if they just needed some time away to 'cool off' or, for others, party-hard?" Is there value in thinking about them as 'homeless,' or is this too-far of an overextension of that idea?
Based on the interviews I did with youth on their own, it was perfectly clear that they were in fact homeless. Going back wasn't an option, nor was it just a party opportunity. I think this is where the homeless liaison can be quite helpful. Speaking with, and listening to, the youth will clarify the circumstances. Sure, some might be short-lived separations, but it's never simple, and often repeats. Every time the youth started sharing the details with me, a trusted stranger, it became clear that losing housing was a definite element of the situation. I'd suspect the scope of these incidents far exceeds what we know.
Anecdotally, I can confirm your findings based on the families I've worked with and/or interviewed over the past 40 years. Not a pretty picture for most, understandably.
I'm wondering if you have a perspective on a maybe-interesting debate that cropped up again-and-again when we were trying to get these findings published. It boils down to, "Teens who run away, are kicked out, or abandoned are unaccompanied, but they might not be homeless. What if they just needed some time away to 'cool off' or, for others, party-hard?" Is there value in thinking about them as 'homeless,' or is this too-far of an overextension of that idea?
Based on the interviews I did with youth on their own, it was perfectly clear that they were in fact homeless. Going back wasn't an option, nor was it just a party opportunity. I think this is where the homeless liaison can be quite helpful. Speaking with, and listening to, the youth will clarify the circumstances. Sure, some might be short-lived separations, but it's never simple, and often repeats. Every time the youth started sharing the details with me, a trusted stranger, it became clear that losing housing was a definite element of the situation. I'd suspect the scope of these incidents far exceeds what we know.