Reports on the Homelessness Immersion Project, a program developed at Molloy College to educate students about poverty that not only provides theoretical information about economic and social issues but also helps students develop personal insight into the experience of living in poverty. Describes how the program brings together community-service…

Interviewed 420 street youths in a midwestern city to analyze their sexual behaviors. Ninety-one percent were sexually active, and nearly half were engaged in sex for survival. Discusses the need to coordinate comprehensive social services to prevent an increase in the number of street youth. (SLD)

Street youth 12 to 19 years old (N=775) in four American cities were interviewed to examine the relationship between suicide attempts and antecedent home life variables. Forty-eight percent of the females and 27% of the males had attempted suicide. Sexual and physical abuse before leaving home were independent predictors of suicide attempts for…

Describes treatment activities at the Boys Town Emergency Shelter Program for runaway and homeless youths. An examination of data collected from 100 shelter users indicated a high number of teaching interactions between staff and youths high levels of youth satisfaction with the staff; and a low frequency of youth disruptive behaviors in the…

Considers the role played by imprisonment in relation to homelessness in particular and to marginal society participation in general. Observations are offered about the concept of the "underclass," and an analysis of the impact of current British social policies on the life course is provided, with special focus on young offenders. (JPS)

Profiles Latin American street children, including interpersonal relationships and daily life, based on a bibliography of 90 articles published between 1985 and 1994. Finds that the bulk of street children are boys between 10 and 14 years with erratic school attendance. Finds little information on ethnic background. Discusses changes in societal…

Conducted in-depth interviews with street children and child protection workers in Guatemala City to better understand the process by which street children decide to initiate a legal case to seek justice for abuses suffered. Argues that the decision to take legal action is based on beliefs in basic human rights principles and perceived…

Examined the relationship between housing status and depression, anxiety, and problem behaviors among elementary school-aged children from low-income, single-parent, female-headed families. Found that mother-reported problem behaviors were above normal levels for both homeless and poor, housed youths, but self-reported depression and anxiety were…

Focuses on how the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act has affected homeless children and youths. Proposes that more initiatives need to be taken to enhance educational opportunities for homeless students. Implications for school social work include advocating for housing policy, involving parents in the education of homeless children, and…

Investigated how homeless Brazilian youth experience the street and examined factors linked to positive and negative feelings about the street. Found great diversity in youths' views of the street. Findings support the value of the sentence completion task in exploring the subjective experiences of street youth. (Author)

An analysis of 8,251 homeless children in New York City found that 18% of them received child welfare services over the five-year period following their first shelter admission, and an additional 6% had a history of having received such services before their first shelter admission. Recurrent use of public shelters, exposure to domestic violence,…

A qualitative study was undertaken with four groups -- immigrants, youths, Aboriginal people, and landlords -- in order to explore, compare, and contrast diversity issues among the homeless population and those at risk of homelessness in a larger Canadian city (Calgary, Alberta) with a smaller city (Lethbridge, Alberta), to better understand their…

This study examined prevalence of sexual risks among homeless adolescents and described factors associated with those risks. Community-based outreach methods were used successfully to access this difficult-to-reach population. The sample included 203 homeless youth aged 15-22 recruited from community sites. Questionnaire items addressed…

This article describes the relationship between learning disabilities (LD) and homelessness. Research describing the connection between disabilities and homelessness has focused on individuals presenting with disabilities such as mental illness, physical disabilities, medical disabilities, or substance abuse. At this time, the presence of LD in…

The Yellow School Bus Project (YSBP) was created to provide homeless children with the supplies and clothes they need to succeed in school and feel good about themselves. When given these gifts, they receive the explicit message that they are smart and worthwhile, the implicit message that there are people in the community who are invested in…