Examining the Relationship Between Youth Homelessness and Aggression Poverty Studies Capstone Project

Abstract

Teen homelessness has recently begun to gain recognition as a rapidly escalating problem in American society. It is estimated that between 1 and 1.5 million American teens—about 6 percent of the U.S. adolescent population—currently experience one or more periods of homelessness each year (Cohen, 2009). Part of the emergence of a substantial homeless adolescent population can be attributed to the rise in youth separating from their family. The Justice Department conducted a study in 1989 that suggested that about 500,000 youth run away or are thrown out of their homes each year (Robertson, 1991). This is especially alarming given that an estimated 75 percent of cases in which youth separate from the family go unreported (“National Youth Homelessness Awareness Month”, 2009). Many youth who separate from their family are unable to secure stable housing, leading them to be absorbed into the growing homeless adolescent population (MacLEan, Embry, & Cauce, 1999). The 2004 Conference of Mayors Study found that about 5% of the homeless in the United States are unaccompanied youth (CRS Report for Congress, 2005).