Categories: New York City, Federal
11.20.2013
Report offers findings from Youth Count survey conducted earlier this year
A new report on youth homelessness offers insights on the plight of young adults living on the street in New York City.
Yesterday, the New York City Coalition on the Continuum of Care (NYC CCoC) released a report on the results of a 2013 survey of unaccompanied NYC homeless youth. The report synthesizes the results of a 27-question survey administered to homeless young adults on the night of January 28, 2013.
Among its startling findings, A Count of Unaccompanied Homeless Youths in New York City reveals that the median duration of homelessness for these young adults is 730 days, or roughly two years. You can read the entire report here. For a quick summary of its findings, see this handout.
The report was commissioned by the CCoC’s Youth Committee, a body co-chaired by the Network and the Ali Forney Center. The report reveals a number of distressing traits about those surveyed:
- 40% indentified as either gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered.
- 90% were either black or Latino.
- 66% left their homes before the age of 18.
- 25% were pregnant or parenting.
- 53% have had contact with the criminal justice system.
- 34% cited physical, mental or sexual abuse as a reason for becoming homeless.
- Only 47% have a high school diploma, despite the average respondent being 21 years old.
As part of the release, the Network helped organize a policy briefing yesterday to discuss the findings. The event included a presentation on the report from one of its co-authors: Dr. Darrick Hamilton, an Associate Professor at the New School for International Affairs, Management and Urban Policy. His presentation can be found here.
Robert Pulster, a Regional Coordinator at the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), followed by putting New York City's efforts to better understand, document and count homeless youth into the context of the federal government's goals for ending youth homelessness. USICH helped spearhead the youth count pilot project in nine cities across the country with the U.S. Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Health and Human Services (HHS).
His remarks were followed by another informative presentation on youth homelessness from Dr. Jama Shelton, the Project Director of the True Colors Fund’s Forty to None, a new initiative aimed specifically at reducing LGBT youth homelessness in the U.S. See Ms. Shelton's PowerPoint slides to learn more about Forty to None and LGBT homeless youth.
A spirited Q&A closed the 90-minute session. The Network’s Nicole Branca moderated the proceedings.
Photo caption: Participants speak at a policy briefing on the release of A Count of Unaccompanied Homeless Youths in New York City on November 19. (left to right) Network Deputy Executive Director Nicole Branca, USICH Regional Coordinator Robert Pulster, New School Associate Professor Darrick Hamilton and Forty to None Project Director Jama Shelton.