National Communication System for Runaway and Homeless Youth (ACF)

Runaway and homeless youth may be viewed as subcategories on a continuum of familial disengagement and residential instability. Runaway youth are typically identified as those who leave or are forced from their homes, often returning in a relatively short time. Homeless youth are those with no stable residence, have limited contact with family, and have become affiliated with the culture of homelessness. This entry provides background on specific policies associated with youth who run away or become homeless. Characteristics of these two groups (runaway and homeless youth) are described in terms of high-risk characteristics, such as educational difficulties, substance abuse, victimization, and trauma. Service options to meet the needs of these youth are described and implications for social work practice discussed.

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Sexual Health Information Seeking Online Among Runaway and Homeless Youth

Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research ◽

10.5243/jsswr.2011.5 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

pp. 89-103 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

Anamika Barman-Adhikari ◽

Eric Rice

Keyword(s):

Sexual Health ◽

Health Information ◽

Information Seeking ◽

Homeless Youth ◽

Health Information Seeking ◽

Sexual Health Information ◽

Runaway And Homeless Youth

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The Prevalence and Correlates of Labor and Sex Trafficking in a Community Sample of Youth Experiencing Homelessness in Metro-Atlanta

Social Sciences ◽

10.3390/socsci10020032 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 32

Author(s):

Eric R. Wright ◽

Ana LaBoy ◽

Kara Tsukerman ◽

Nicholas Forge ◽

Erin Ruel ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sex Trafficking ◽

Homeless Youth ◽

Community Sample ◽

Sexual Exploitation ◽

The United States ◽

Community Based ◽

Gender Nonconforming ◽

Labor Trafficking ◽

Runaway And Homeless Youth ◽

And Gender

Research suggests that runaway and homeless youth (RHY) in the United States are vulnerable to sex and labor trafficking. In this paper, we report and analyze estimates of sex and labor trafficking collected as part of the Atlanta Youth Count 2018, a community-based field survey of RHY between the ages of 14 and 25 in the metro-Atlanta area. A total of 564 participants were recruited and completed a survey that included questions about their backgrounds as well as the Human Trafficking Screening Tool (HTST). We found that 39.9% experienced some form of trafficking while homeless. While 15.6% of the youth reported commercial sexual exploitation while homeless, coerced labor (29.3%) or fraud (25.2%) were even more common experiences. Women, transgender, and gender nonconforming youth, as well young people who had prior system involvement and those who had been homeless for more than a year were the most likely to report having been trafficked. The significance of these findings for research and policy on RHY and trafficking are discussed.

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