Services for Runaway and Homeless Youth in 22 Counties: Programs, Provider Types and Gaps in Provision

Background:   Research on the characteristics and experiences of runaway and homeless youth has shown that these young people are a highly vulnerable population with significant needs for services and supports.  Much less is known about what services and supports are available to runaway and homeless, how the availability of those services and supports varies across communities, and where there are major gaps in service provision.  

Methods:  Voices of Youth Count (VoYC) is a national, multicomponent policy research initiative focused on runaway, unaccompanied homeless and unstably housed youth.   This paper presents the results of a survey administered to runaway and homeless youth service providers, homeless adult service providers, homeless family service and youth serving organizations in 22 counties across the U.S.  The survey was completed by 523 of the 824 service providers to whom it was sent. The overall response rate was 64 percent but across the 22 counties it ranged from 47 to 100 percent. 

Results: Most of the RHY providers in the 22 counties operate more than one type of program and some providers operate more than one program of a given type.  However, far more RHY programs serve youth age 18 and older than serve youth under age 18.  This was true regardless of program type. This disparity between programs for youth age 18 and older and programs for youth under age 18 is even more stark when the programs operated by homeless adult and homeless family service providers are included.  Nearly all the programs they operate serve youth age 18 and older but most do not serve youth under age 18.     

Not surprising, more populated counties tend to have more RHY providers than less populated counties. Consequently, larger counties tend to have more RHY providers operating a given type of program as wider range of programs operated by RHY providers than smaller counties.  However, large and medium size counties also have gaps in their array of RHY programs.   The picture is much the same when the programs operated by homeless adult and homeless family service providers are included.  The majority of both RHY providers and other serving youth organizations provide a wide range of services to runaway and homeless youth including case management, lie skills training, and assistance with basic needs.  Those services are available from more RHY providers and YSOs in larger than in smaller counties but some services, particular legal assistance, are not available from may RHY providers or YSOs.

Conclusions and Implications: These results suggest that there are significant gaps in service provision runaway and homeless youth in communities across the U.S., particularly for youth under age 18.  Although homeless adult and family service providers fill some of these gaps for youth age 18 and older, the services they provide may not address the developmental needs of young adults.  By identifying  gaps in service provision, the results of this research can inform the development of federal, state and local policies that govern the funding of programs for runaway and homeless youth.