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- Federal Resources
Federal Resources
Primary Sources: Learning How Service Providers and Policy Makers Can Help LGBTQ Homeless Youth
This article provides information about a research review that aimed to determine directions for research, public policy, and practice related to serving homeless youth who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning. The article also includes potential implications of the research for policies and practices of youth-serving organizations. Researchers at Harvard Medical School conducted the research review.
Q&A: Robin Petering on Homeless Youth and Gangs
In this interview with NCFY, Robin Petering a researcher at the University of Southern California School of Social work discusses the reasons some homeless youth become involved in gangs, addressing young people’s involvement in gangs, and the high rates of trauma among juggalos, tattooed and street-named young fans of the band, Insane Clown Posse.
Report to Congress on the Runaway and Homeless Youth Programs, Fiscal Years 2010-2011
This report, developed by the Department of Health and Human Services, Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB), summarizes FYSB efforts to combat youth homelessness, as well as data about the young people served by the agency’s programs and the services they received.
Research Roundup: What Leads Homeless Youth to Have Run-ins With the Law?
This article from the National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth highlights three studies that identify possible risk factors for criminal justice involvement among runaway and homeless youth, including substance use, length of time living on the streets, and childhood trauma history.
Report to Congress on the Runaway and Homeless Youth Programs
This report to Congress documents the activities and accomplishments for fiscal years 2012 and 2013 of three programs authorized by the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act. The three programs are the Basic Center, Transitional Living, and Street Outreach. The report also describes the related network of support — including the National Communications System; the monitoring system; and other coordinating, training, and research activities.
Recap: Blogging Challenge to End Youth Homelessness
In November, NCFY asked readers to use their blogs to spread awareness of youth homelessness. Read some of the highlights from these posts on topics like adapting programs, meeting the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth, and educating community decision-makers.
Runaway and Homeless Youth Training and Technical Assistance Centers - Community of Practice
This site is a meeting place that provides members of the RHYTTAC CoP with opportunities to participate in discussion forums, member profiles, photo gallery, file storage, and more.
Runaway and Homeless Youth Training and Technical Assistance Centers
This resource provides technical assistance to runaway and homeless youth programs.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the United States government's principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves.
What Factors Predict Whether Youth Will Run Away or Become Homeless Again After Returning Home?
This article highlights a recent longitudinal study, conducted by researchers at The Ohio State University and featured in the Journal of Adolescence, that examined what factors might predict which youth who abuse substances may run away more than once. The youth surveyed who said they ran away or were homeless at least once more since returning home from the shelter (64%) reported more frequent substance use and a weaker sense of family cohesion than did youth who did not leave home again.
Youth as Advocates for Change
This podcast from the Department of Health and Human Services’ National Clearinghouse on Families and Youth features Forrest Vest, a formerly homeless youth, discussing how he is working with a family friend to start a new foundation and how youth can be powerful advocates for change.
Many Homeless Youth Experience Traumatic Brain Injury, Study Shows
This article describes a study that analyzed the prevalence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) among homeless youth. Using data from a sample of 2,732 young people recruited from the streets, shelters, and drop-in centers, this study showed 43% of participants had a history of TBI. Compared to youth with no brain injury, young people who reported a history of TBI became homeless at a younger age and went through more episodes of homelessness.
Six Questions to Identify Youth at Highest Risk of Long-Term Homelessness
This article describes the Transition Age Youth triage tool, a new questionnaire to determine which youth are most at risk of long-term homelessness without intervention. The tool uses a welcoming, conversational tone to assess for six experiences that are strongly linked to long-term homelessness. The tool can be used in tandem with case management meetings and assessments to develop a service plan, as well as supportive housing.
New Tip Sheet on Sharing Data About Youth Experiencing Homelessness
This article highlights a new tip sheet (PDF, 6 pages) developed by ED and USICH to help schools, housing providers, and social service organizations collaborate and share data, in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
Ending Homelessness in America
Written by HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell, this blog post describes the complex issue of homelessness in America and the work of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), HHS, and her own work, to end it. The post also describes USICH’s commitment to end veteran homelessness by 2015, chronic homelessness by 2017, and family, youth, and child homelessness by 2020.
Q&A: How to Help Homeless Youth Quit Smoking
This Q&A with Joan Tucker, the senior behavioral scientist and professor at Pardee RAND Graduate School in Santa Monica, California, focuses on Dr. Tucker’s work on smoking among homeless youth and her recommendations for what tailored cessation programs might look like.
Testimony at Interagency Council on Homelessness Meeting
The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, leaders in youth homelessness prevention and intervention advocated for youth-centered, culturally-responsive services. They also stated that programs should be trauma informed, cater to the unique needs of special populations of youth, and allow youth to access services even if they are still actively engaged in substance use.
Curriculum: Updated Runaway Prevention Intervention
The National Runaway Safeline updated the Let’s Talk: Runaway Prevention Curriculum with new topics, resources, and activities. This free, evidence-based curriculum includes 14 modules on topics ranging from communication and listening to the realities of running away to strategies youth can use to reduce stress.
Guidance: Education Department Reiterates — Title I Funding Can Be Used to Serve Homeless Students
This article explains the guidance provided in a recent “Dear Colleague” letter (PDF, 4 pages) issued by the Department of Education which explains how school districts can use Title I funds to help children and youth experiencing homelessness. Some examples of ways districts can use the funds are to transport homeless students to and from school, pay the salaries of staff who work with homeless youth, and to generally meet the needs of these students.
Resource: 5 Ways to Serve Traveling Street Youth
This blog post provides five tips for youth-serving professionals on working with traveling youth, also known as transient youth, which are homeless youth who choose to travel around the country.
Report: Street Outreach Program Data Collection Study
This report presents data on service utilization and needs from a subset of homeless street youth being served by a cohort of Street Outreach Program grantees funded in fiscal year 2010 (data collection occurred in 2013). The goal was to learn about the needs of street youth from their perspective, to better understand which services youth found helpful or not helpful, and to identify alternative services they felt could be useful to them. A recent blog post shares the steps the current administration has taken to prevent and end homelessness, and features a new public service announcement campaign targeted at runaway and homeless youth.
Opportunity for Involvement: FYSB Grant Reviewers
This request for reviewers invites qualified applicants to serve as grant reviewers for a range of FYSB programs benefiting youth and families.
Report: Family and Youth Services Bureau Highlights in 2014 & 2015
This report shares FYSB’s key accomplishments over the past two years specifically related to ending youth homelessness, domestic violence, and teen pregnancy.
Resource: Addressing the Legal Needs of Homeless Youth
This resource describes the legal issues homeless youth may face and how organizations can help them access assistance to prevent those issues from negatively impacting their future.
Resource: Running Away from Foster Care
This article highlights a literature review that analyzed the research on prevalence, risk factors, and outcomes of running away from foster care, as well as the interventions implemented to stop it from happening.