Homelessness Among Juveniles in L. A. County

Approximately 1.3 million adolescents run away from home each year in the United States. Of these young people, one-fourth become chronically homeless. Many of these youths have run away from abusive or neglectful family situations or have been rejected, forced out, or abandoned by their parents. Homeless adolescents are at high risk for drug and alcohol abuse, HIV infection, other sexually transmissible diseases, unwanted pregnancy, violence, and other problems (Unger, Kipke, Simon, Montgomery, & Johnson, 1997).

Homelessness among adolescents is particularly problematic in urban centers such as Los Angeles, California. The actual extent of the problem is unknown, but the Institute for the Study of Homelessness and Poverty (2004) estimates that unaccompanied or homeless youth, many clustering in the Hollywood area, constitute a population between 4,800 and 10,000. The problem at issue in this study is an identification of the barriers to service access and service receipt as experienced by homeless adolescents in Los Angeles County. The problem is of significance in that runaway and homeless youth are known to not seek help unless they are in a severe personal crisis (Yates, Pennridge, Swofford, & Mackenzie, 1991).

Two research hypotheses will be tested in the present study. These are:

H1: Homeless youth in Los Angeles County are likely to

. . .
ek shelter assistance except when they are in a health crisis. Most do not avail themselves of educational or vocational training. This review of literature identifies the incidence of youth homelessness in Los Angeles, the kinds of problems presented by members of this age cohort, and the services that are provided and needed. It is quite clear from the review of literature that many young homeless individuals need but do not obtain social and health services. It is equally clear that outreach efforts must be intensified and, by implication, that early identification of youth at risk for running away or becoming homeless should become a priority for social service agencies, educational authorities, and others. Chapter Three Methodology Introduction The purpose of this chapter of the study is to delineate the specific research questions and purpose, methodology, design, instrumentation, sample, and data collection/analysis procedures that will be employed in the study. Given that an overarching goal of the research project is to shed further light on the problems associated with adolescent homelessness in Los Angeles, this chapter is vital in identifying the empir
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Approximate Word count = 9527
Approximate Pages = 38 (250 words per page)