At times it can seem like we have a grasp on youth homelessness, its causes and characteristics. But after 20 years of sharing life with thousands of homeless youth, we are still surprised. And that’s good! We want to be ceaselessly learning so that we become better equipped to offer restoration and fulfillment to the kids we come to know and love. And we are thankful for a community of friends like you who are just as eager to do the same.
In that spirit, here are 5 things that we have found surprising about youth homelessness:
1) It’s not rare.
32,494* (3%) of Washington State students in the 2013-2014 school year were identified as homeless. That is 1 out of every 30 students in grades K-12. This would be similar to saying that in your average high school with a 30-student per class average, one student in every classroom is homeless.
2) It isn’t just older kids.
50%* of the Washington State homeless student population in 2013-2014 was under 11 years old, in grades pre-kindergarten through 5th grade. For many of the youth we work with, homelessness has been something they and their family have wrestled with from an early age.
3) It doesn’t stop kids from going to school.
Despite the obstacles in a homeless youth’s life (lack of transportation, no permanent address, inconsistent meals and sleep, lack of school supplies and clothing, etc.), many persist in attending school. In 2014, according to the Runaway and Homeless Youth Management System**, 43.8% of homeless youth ages 12-18 regularly attended school, while 16.5% attended irregularly. 15.3% of them completed high school.
4) There’s not a lot of places to go.
Although there are thousands of homeless youth, there are only 8 youth-specific shelters in Washington State.*** One of them is our Oasis Hope Homes Shelter, which offers short-term housing for up to 6 youth at a time. For a young man or woman who has left home because of abuse or instability, staying at a shelter with other adults sounds scarier than staying on the streets. That’s why youth-specific shelters are so vital.
5) It can happen when foster care ends.
Youth age out of foster care between ages 18-21. Many leave their host home without the life skills or resources to support themselves. According to HUD***, 11-37% of youth who age out of foster care experience homelessness, while another 25-50% are unstably housed. Many of our youth have been in the foster care system or are leaving it and searching for sustainable work and housing.
* Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
**Runaway and Homeless Youth Management System
*** United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
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