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Homeless Youth: A Case Study

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Homelessness among adolescents in California is a prevalent public health issue. Many of these youth are without a home because of a variety of reasons including altercations with their guardians, abuse, PTSD or a combination of these and other issues. Being homeless in of itself is a health concern but a majority of the youth on the streets also face additional health concerns. Some of these health concerns include substance abuse, high risk of HIV, and PTSD from trauma. Homeless adolescents in California face a variety of health concerns, identifying and being aware of these issues is a public health priority.
Being homeless is a high-risk life style that puts people at a higher risk for many other health issues. A health concern …show more content…

According to a study done in San Diego, “[a]ttempted suicide, history of sexual and physical abuse, “survival sex”, sexual orientation, lack of social network, long periods of homelessness have been found to be associated with substance use in homeless adolescents” (Bousman et.al., 2005). These are some determinants that have been defined that put homeless youth at a higher risk for substance abuse. Another factor that puts youth at a high-risk is self-identifying as LGBQ. One study claimed, “LGBQ center reported significantly higher rates of recent binge drinking (five or more drinks at single setting), cigarette use, and having sex while intoxicated” (Shillington, Bousman, & Clapp, 2009). This could be due to exclusion from peers or other related issues. Peers additionally have a big influence on substance abuse among homeless youth. According to the San Diego study, “peer modeling of one of more deviant behaviors may generalize to drug use behaviors” (Bousman et.al., 2005). Basically when peers use drugs and normalize it, then the other youth are more likely to model this same behavior. Additionally to peers parental modeling has possibly the biggest impact on drug use among homeless youth. The term parental in homeless youth can refer to counselors, teachers, or drop-in center staff who are consistent in their lives (Bousman et.al., 2005). This …show more content…

This community of individuals face a disproportionately high prevalence of both trauma and PTSD. One study states that prior to being homeless or running away “approximately 75% of homeless youth report being emotionally, physically, or sexually abused by their families and note these issues are key reasons for running away” (Bender, Ferguson, Thompson, Komlo, & Pollio, 2010). This study states that after being homeless “85% of homeless youth report exposure to at least one form of victimization… which often compound previous trauma symptoms developed before leaving home” (Bender et.al., 2010). This previous abuse leaves the adolescents vulnerable and open to further victimization which can intensify traumatic experience. The adolescents that then fail to remove themselves from these toxic situations, or don’t seek treatment, are at an extremely high-risk for then developing PTSD (Bender et.al., 2010). Trauma is extremely common among homeless youth, but there are certain factors that can intensify and increase the chance of developing

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Factors and barriers such as intravenous drug use, schizophrenia, history of unemployment, and various mood disorders that are common within the homeless community were looked at. Reasons for being homeless were looked at as well such as being evicted because of the ability not to pay rent, loss of employment, substance abuse, and various mental health issues. When it came to substance abuse, alcohol was the number one choice, followed by crack cocaine and then heroin. The study found that when it came to men and especially alcohol abuse, there had typically been some sort of trauma and /or violence on their

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Homelessness on Campus “Over 58,000 students identified as homeless on the 2013 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) , a 75 percent increase over the last three years”(Dunning). Homelessness on college campuses is damaging to the individuals who are affected by it. Homelessness is damaging to the individual because it makes graduating from college difficult. To find a way to solve homelessness we need to figure out what the causes of homelessness are.

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Homeless youth are always dealing with poor nutrition, victimization, substance use, and abuse. Unfortunately the services provided are very limited and cannot help a huge chunk of the homeless youth. Homeless youth experience more substance abuse and drug addiction than non-homeless youth, this causes them to be mentally unstable and unable to be a functioning member of society. There are many temporary services provided such as shelters, drop-ins, meal programs, literacy improvements, and counselling programs; although these are available and there to help the youth, they are all flawed in their own ways. What the government does not take into consideration is the long term solutions to put youth in poverty to an end.

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(Tarr 2020, para. 3). With this being said being homeless is very problematic because it causes a lot of mental illness and substance abuse and people are dying from

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1942 Words | 8 Pages

Among the homeless youth population is also a higher risk for depression and thoughts of suicide, which can be contributing factors to nonadherence. Another reason for nonadherence is that homeless individuals may feel a sense of achievement and an extreme self-reliance due to their methods of survival that mainstream society would more than likely be unable to accept or get used

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Abuse and neglect are one of the top three leading causes of youth homelessness. “Studies show 70 percent of homeless youth have suffered some form of physical, sexual or emotional abuse” and “45.7 percent of street

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In the United States homelessness has been a substantial problem for decades. The reason for homelessness is greatly debated especially

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Group Project Health disparities are common contributors to homelessness. A homeless person’s risk of being ill or injured increases between two and six times that of persons who are housed (Wright, 1990). The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) (2011) estimates 26% of homeless adults living in shelters are living with serious mental illness and nearly another 46% live with severe mental illness and/or substance use disorders (“The 2010 Annual, 2011). Homeless populations are at increased risk of; injury, hypothermia, dermatological problems, violence, and infectious diseases such as; hepatitis, tuberculosis, and HIV. (Kushel, Evans, Perry, Robertson, & Moss, 2003).

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making Mental illness the third major cause of homelessness. C. Most people believe it 's their own fault or it is over drug and alcohol abuse or just being lazy period, but according to rock center by Jessica Hopper believe it or not 20% of people that have jobs who are not on any alcohol substance or drug abuse are also homeless, which leads us to the requirement wages in order to afford a place to stay in. Not just in TN but in every state more than minimum wage is needed, Families need to earn a housing wage of 15$ an hour in order to afford a two-bed room apartment. Transition: it is very clear to us that homelessness is a major problem in our society, and that we need to take action, let 's look at some ways we can help to aid these types of situations. II.

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Also, it can lead to juvenile delinquency, troubles with school, and “a greater risk of experiencing mental health problems” (Aratani, 2009, p. 7). When determining what programs and other resources are best fit to help end youth homelessness, it is important to understand the causes and impact of homelessness among youths in the United

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A very common way people can end up homeless is from addictive disorders. According to Substance Abuse and Homelessness from the National Coalition for the Homeless, one thing the homeless population have in common is that most of them are alcoholics or drug abusers. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration estimates, 38% of homeless people were dependent on alcohol and 26% abused other drugs. This proves that people who are dependent on drugs and not focusing on work or prioritizing all housing payments, they can lose their homes. Furthermore, addictive disorders damage friendships and family ties and frequently result in job loss.

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It is indiscriminate and has no concern for one’s status, race, ethnicity, background, religion, and so on. Therefore the fear of homelessness is the fact that it can happen at any time.. As a result of the United States economic situation, there is a lack of jobs and livable wages provided for growing communities. The insufficient provision of financial aid is among the factors that cause homelessness. Unable to be financially independent, the homeless tend to meet their financial needs through illegal avenues. These avenues involve the interaction with drugs and

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Disabled individuals, veterans and families are some of the demographic that is affected by homelessness. Physical ailments such as malnutrition, lack of hygiene, undiagnosed diseases and/or disorders can be detrimental. Mental disorders such as depression can develop due to the harsh circumstances of living on the streets. The lack of support, affordable housing and medical care that homeless individuals are receiving are prime examples of the need for compassionate and dedicated social workers to assist homeless individuals in regaining hope, purpose, and to evoke the strength within themselves. Living in shelters or public areas, homeless individuals are extremely resilience.

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In brief, the use of drugs has multiple adverse effects, and is highly associated with the status of homelessness among

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While homelessness is never an ideal experience, youths that experience this while remaining intact with their family unit are far less likely to experience the common hardships that a youth without family guidance would. Many of these homeless circumstances are temporary as families receive assistance through programs and shelters until the time that they can get back on their feet (National Center). Being a homeless youth in a society that lacks knowledge or apathy on one’s situation raises an abundance of hardships for adolescents that experience this type of lifestyle. Often, when a youth first experiences vagrancy, they attempt to carry on the routine they once practiced daily. A large component of this is their schooling.

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