By Sandra Castillo
According to research done by the Casey Foundation in 2023, they illustrated how across America, 1 in 30 youth between the ages of 13-24 and 1 in 10 young adults between 18-25 will experience homelessness over a year. Not all youths have the advantage of growing up in an environment with a safe, stabilized space they can call home.
Do you know the factors that contribute to these types of homelessness? It is not just the deprivation of our basic human needs. For example, it can be due to the inability to afford housing, which according to research some families reported having a cost burden resulting from rent being greater than 30 percent of their income. Other reasons are economic insecurity, violence in the home, lack of positive social support, and involvement in the child welfare system.
Homeless children and youths are unable to have access to the food they need to live their fullest lives due to their financial situation, which impacts their health. I have a family member who experienced homelessness due to family dynamics in the home that could not get resolved and the only solution was to force him out of their home. I remember my nephew being healthy, well-groomed, and full of life. When he came back after being homeless for 4 years, he no longer appeared like the same person and had lost a tremendous amount of weight. He also shared some of the experiences he had while being homeless, such as becoming addicted to drugs, and alcohol, and having risky sexual behaviors. My relative also appeared to have signs and symptoms of a serious illness, depression, behavioral problems, and drug withdrawal.
Homelessness can have undesirable or harmful effects that can impede one’s well-being, and life. They are living alone in the streets dealing with mental illness, drug addiction, alcohol abuse, sexual abuse, suicidal ideation, and even death. If we do not help our children and youths who are homeless in our communities, they will become an addition to the population of continuing adults who will never have a home or a permanent place to live.
We need to commit to a solution together in solving this homelessness issue because these children and youths are the country’s future generation. And this our nation and all the people in it whether African American, Hispanic, White, old, young, and or part of any type of group such as the LGBT should matter to all of us, especially our future generations. We live in a nation that can assist those most vulnerable in our society.
By this, I do not mean we should give away money but rather help in focusing on how to prevent homelessness among our youths. Funding that can provide a safe and stable environment one can call home and obtain the necessary resources needed to survive and have stability.
Other risk factors that homeless children and youth can experience are being at risk for sex trafficking, suicide, witnessing violence or experiencing it themselves, and pregnancies. These experiences can even be worse due to their vulnerability if they are constantly on the streets, in shelters, or staying in very crowded housings.
A study done by the National Center for Children in Poverty illustrated that LGBT homeless youth have an even greater chance of being victimized on the streets, compared with their heterosexual counterparts (59% vs. 33%).
Our duty as a nation is to serve all those in need regardless of race, gender, marital status, ethnicity, age, cultural background, cultural norm, and social status. Everyone deserves the right to available services within their communities. We as a community must bring awareness by promoting and educating individuals and families to empower them to make a difference in their lives.
As a society, we need to advocate for the communities that need affordable housing and financial assistance to prevent homelessness before it begins. We can urge those who make the policies to end this injustice of homelessness by investing more in creating programs to help low-income families be able to afford housing. Also, aiding the unaccompanied youths who are homeless, with guidance on how to get back into living within their communities and being productive.
Together as a community, we can make an enormous difference and teach our youths how to grow into adulthood and become leaders instead of a burden to society, as some would say. If we turn our backs on youths experiencing homelessness then they will continue to put themselves on a road to long suffering, exposure to greater risk, and will have less chances of having stability.