Webinar Presentation on Homeless Youth Available
Training Discussed New Report: "Alone Without a Home"
September 17, 2012
On Friday, September 7, the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty hosted a free webinar on its recently released report, "Alone Without a Home: A State-by-State Review of Laws Affecting Unaccompanied Homeless Youth."
Each year, an estimated 1.6 million children and youth (ages 12-17) experience homelessness without a parent or guardian. These youth leave home for a variety of reasons, including severe family conflict, parental abuse or neglect, parental mental health issues, or substance abuse. Prior to leaving home:
- 43 percent of homeless youth report being beaten by a caretaker;
- 25 percent of homeless youth have had caretakers request sexual activity; and
- 20 percent of homeless youth had conflicts with their parents around their sexual orientation which caused them to leave.
Whether runaway or throwaway, once on the street, unaccompanied homeless youth face numerous legal barriers that often complicate their attempts to meet the basic necessities of life on their own and prevent them from reaching out for assistance to state agencies and service providers that could otherwise help them.
To download the webinar slides, click here.
To view the full audio and video of the presentation, please click here.
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