Family trauma increases likeliness of youth homelessness: report

Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-27 07:10:02|Editor: Yamei
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CHICAGO, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Based on in-depth interviews with 215 people aged between 13 and 25, a report from Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago (UChicago) has traced youth homelessness to factors such as family trauma or the death of a parent or caretaker, illuminating some of the root causes of housing insecurity around the United States.

According to the report posted on the website of UChicago on Wednesday, approximately 35 percent of youth surveyed had experienced the death of at least one parent or primary caregiver.

In addition, 44 percent identified their entrance into foster care as the beginning of their housing instability, complicating the popular perception of foster homes as a more stable environment.

Almost half, or 46 percent, experienced discrimination from members of their family or household, especially LGBTQ and multiracial youth; nearly a third, or 31 percent, navigated some sort of mental health issue; and 21 percent mentioned substance abuse as a barrier to obtaining or keeping housing.

The report is the latest in a series of briefs on youth homelessness from Chapin Hall. Previous studies found that one in 10 young adults experience homelessness in a given year, and that LGBTQ youth do so at twice the rate of their peers.

Each year, more than 4 million young people in the United States experience some form of homelessness.

The report includes recommendations for lawmakers to better address complex family-based traumas and account for the mobility of homeless youth, who often move in and out of their hometowns without leaving the state.

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