Feature Story

April 10, 2009

Request for Information Concerning Unaccompanied Homeless Youth

From: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:

We are trying to help a reporter at a national newspaper who is working on a story about runaway and throwaway youth. The reporter is especially interested in any changes that folks are noticing since the recession began. The reporter is looking for help on several questions.

1. Has anyone seen a measurable rise in the number of runaway/throwaway youth in their city, area or state and if so how has that increase been measured?

2. Apart from numbers, are there any other types of indicators that illustrate the growing number or worsening plight of these youth (specifically runaways/throwaways or unaccompanied homeless youth)? By that we mean how has the problem shown itself? For example, one city we heard from said that the number of these kids became so great and their needs so intense that one school district raised its own money to build a home specifically for them. Another city added a cafeteria tax in schools to raise money that could be used to address the needs of these kids. Ect. Are there any other examples that people can offer that capture how dire this issue has become?

3. Has any place in particular seen cuts in services that directly impinge on the fate of these specific kids?
   

The responses will be provided on background to the reporter. Please reply to Carolyn Jones (jones@cbpp.org) if you have information to respond to any of these questions. Thanks for your help.