| PROGRAMS & INITIATIVES |
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| Runaway & Homeless Youth |
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Goal:
The goals of the Oregon Homeless and Runaway Youth Initiative are:
- To address the underlying causes of youth homelessness
- To establish a sustainable and integrated statewide infrastructure to better meet the developmental needs and ensure the safety of runaway and homeless youth.
- To integrate the care of runaway and homeless youth into state and local planning processes.
Who are Homeless and Runaway Youth?
The federal Administration on Children and Families estimates that each year, 1.5 million youth run away from or are pushed out of their homes. Nationally, at any given time, approximately 200,000 homeless youth live in the streets. Current estimates of the number of Oregon youth, ages 12-21, who have run away, have been abandoned or are homeless over the course of a year are 20,000-25,000.
The Oregon Homeless and Runaway Youth Coalition testified to the 2005 Oregon Legislature that family stress caused by poverty, inadequate health care, unemployment, frequent moves, lack of consistent caregivers, abuse and neglect, substance abuse, mental illness and domestic violence were causing youth runaways and the disintegration of the family.
Nationally and in Oregon, there is a strong link between foster care and homelessness in youth. In some urban settings, 30-40% of youth on the streets have come out of foster care.
Communities identify Runaway and Homeless Youth as an important issue
Six regional forums were held across Oregon to examine gaps in services for runaway and homeless youth and barriers to local implementation of care and services to that population.
Results from these forums tell us that runaway and homeless youth are the ones we lose. They often move in and out of local systems of care and are “lost” in transitions. These youth become disenfranchised from school and family in their early teens, start looking for a place to belong, develop unhealthy and self-destructive coping behaviors, and make poor choices. And, with no intervention or support, it is likely they will continue to progress down a path toward further victimization and adult homelessness.
Some of the most resonant concepts gathered through this process include:
- Youth need one person to be in a meaningful relationship with, as an advocate and guide, as they move through systems, programs, and life.
- The more closely linked, localized, and accessible supports and opportunities are, the more likely youth are to use and benefit from them.
- The need for basic, safe shelter and connections for these youth to other resources is pervasive throughout Oregon.
OCCF Role in Runaway and Homeless Youth
HB 2202, signed by the Governor in 2005, designated the Oregon Commission on Children and Families (OCCF) as the lead agency in coordinating statewide planning for delivery of services to runaway and homeless youth and their families. Now, in 2007, for the first time in over a decade, $1 million in OCCF fundshave been dedicated to enable communities to address Oregon’s goals for runaway and homeless youth and their families for the 07-09 biennium. A permanent Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY) Subcommittee of Partners for Children and Families (PCF) is being established.
For more details, see Oregon Runaway and Homeless Youth Initiative HB 2202 Report to the Legislature, April 2007.
For more information contact:
Jean Lasater
Runaway and Homeless Youth Coordinator
(503) 378-5136
jean.lasater(at)state.or.us
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