The street youth population is diverse, complex and heterogeneous. The generic term "street youth" is made up of a number of subcultures1 (by no means mutually exclusive) including hard-core street entrenched young people, squatters, group home kids, child welfare kids, soft-core 'twinkies', "in-and-outers', punks, runaways, throwaways, refugees and immigrants, young single mothers, and those who are homeless because their entire family are homeless. Within these makeshift 'categories' are numerous descriptors that tend to signal street activities such as gang bangers, prostitutes, drug dealers, drug users, panhandlers, and squeegeeers. While there is considerable diversity in the age ranges considered by researchers, providers and policy makers to define street youth, 16 - 24 years of age is accepted by many as reflects both the age limits of many services and the age range of the social networks of many youths. Street youths are generally understood to be young individuals who do not have a permanent place to call home, and who instead, spend significant amount of time/energy on the street (e.g., in alleyways, parks, storefronts, dumpsters, etc.); in squats (located usually in abandoned buildings); at youth shelters and centers; and/or with friends (typically referred to as "couch surfers").
1 Karabanow, J. (2004a). Being young and homeless: Understanding how youth enter and exit street life. New York: Peter Lang.
How Do They End Up on The Streets?
The majority of street youth trade difficult lives at home for a difficult life on the street. Many come from disrupted and dysfunctional families in which poverty, divorce, domestic violence, parental drug abuse and criminality is commonplace1-4. High rates of physical, sexual, emotional abuse and neglect are found in the backgrounds of many street youth and for most, running away (or being thrown out) is an escape from such environments3-5. Additionally, a substantial proportion of homeless youths end up on the streets upon discharge or running from child protection services and exiting the criminal justice system.
1 Buckner, J. C., & Bassuk, E. L. (1997). Mental disorders and service utilization among youths from homeless and low-income household families. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 36, 890-900.
2 Hagan, J., & McCarthy, B. (1997). Mean streets: youth crime and homelessness. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University.
3 Maclean, M. G., Embry, L. E., & Cauce, A. M. (1999). Homeless adolescents' paths to separation from family: Comparison of family characteristics, psychological adjustment, and victimization. Journal of Community Psychology, 27, 179-187.
4 Ringwalt, C. L., Greene, J. M., & Robertson, M. J. (1998). Familial backgrounds and risk behaviors of youth with throwaway experiences. Journal of Adolescence, 21, 241-252.
5 Molnar, B. E., Shade, S. B., Kral, A. H., Booth, R. E., & Watters, J. K. (1998). Suicidal behavior and sexual/physical abuse among street youth. Child Abuse & Neglect, 22, 213-222.
What Difficulties Do They Face on The Streets?
Once on the streets, most of these young people regularly lack shelter and have difficulty obtaining adequate amounts of food1. In their struggle to survive, they variously attempt to find work, seek money from family/friends, panhandle, enter the sex trade or engage in survival sex (sex for food, shelter, etc.), and/or engage in criminal activity 1-2. The difficulty of surviving is compounded by the danger of sexual and physical assaults that occur frequently in the street environment3. Street youth are at risk for a broad spectrum of health problems, including poor nutrition4 a high occurrence of HIV infection5 and drug addiction6, and mortality rates have been found to be up to 40 times that of the general population7. Related to the extremely negative backgrounds common to many street youth, and the subsequent stressors they face on the street, are significant mental health concerns. These include high rates of depression and post traumatic stress disorder8. Suicide and death due to drug overdose have been found to be the leading causes of death among street youths9.
1 Hagan, J., & McCarthy, B. (1997). Mean streets: youth crime and homelessness. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
2 Greene, J. M., Ennett, S. T., & Ringwalt, C. L. (1999). Prevalence and correlates of survival sex among runaway and homeless youth. American Journal of Public Health, 89 1406-1409.
3 Terrell, N. E. (1997). Aggravated and sexual assaults among homeless and runaway adolescents. Youth & Society, 28, 267-290.
4 Antoniades, M. & Tarasuk, V. (1998). A survey of food problems experienced by Toronto street youth. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 89, 371-375.
5 Booth, R. E., Zhang, Y., & Kwiatkowski, C. F. (1999). The challenge of changing drug and sex risk behaviors of runaway and homeless adolescents. Child Abuse & Neglect, 23, 1295-1306.
6 Slesnick, N., & Prestopnik, J. (2005). Dual and multiple diagnosis among substance using runaway youth. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 1, 179-201.
7 Shaw, M., & Dorling, D. (1998). Mortality among street youth in the UK. Lancet, 352, 743.
8 Cauce, A.M., Paradise, M., Ginzler, J.A., Embry, L., Morgan, C.J., Lohr, Y., & Theofelis, J. (2000). The characteristics and mental health of homeless adolescents. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 8, 230-239.
9 Roy, E., Haley, N., Leclerc, P., Sochanski, B., Boudreau, J., Boivin, J. (2004). Mortality in a cohort of street youth in Montreal. Journal of the American Medical Association, 292, 569- 574
How Do They Survive on The Streets?
While much of the research literature and popular coverage of youth homelessness revolves around portrayals of the high levels of risk, grim lives, and early deaths of these young people some studies have found tremendous resilience in compliment to extreme risk. These works have found that many youths have developed strong abilities to be self-reliant, networks of mutual support, and spirituality1-2. Further, many homeless young people demonstrate an ability to adapt to extremely adverse circumstances, constructing new skill sets and values that allow them to survive for years in any number of dangerous contexts3.
1 Rew, L., & Horner, S.D. (2003). Personal strengths of homeless adolescents living in a high- risk environment. Advances in Nursing Science, 26, 90-101.
2 Lindsay, E. W., Kurtz, D., Jarvis, S., Williams, N. R., & Nackerud, L. (2000). How runaways and homeless youth navigate troubled waters: Personal strengths and resources. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 17, 115-140.
3 Kidd, S. A., & Davidson, L. (2007). "You have to adapt because you have no other choice.": The stories of strength and resilience of 208 homeless youth in New York City and Toronto. Journal of Community Psychology, 35, 219-238.