Homeless Youth Flashcards
Who were the street urchins?
homeless youth from 100 years ago
Many were orphans; poor; engage in deviance as a means of survival
The term “homeless” was not used, hence the name street urchin
Research on homeless youth in the 1970’s to 1980’s focused on runaways and throughaways. What are the difference between these types of defiant youth?
○ Runaway - leaves home on their own
Includes:
- those who are defiant and refuse to follow their healthy parents’ rules
- those who don’t really have any rules and have unhealthy parents
○ Throughaway - gets kicked out of home
- Most common
What did the Bagley Report (1986) on sexual exploitation of Canadian children find?
○ Many involved in the sex trade were homeless
○ About ½ were involved in the Child Protection System (removed from home & placed into foster or group home)
- Similar findings today
Describe the living conditions adopted by homeless youth.
Hidden Homes:
○ precariously housed (couch surfing)
○ not paying rent
Youth shelters:
○ Youth stay overnight & must leave after breakfast
○ Many operate on a 24 hour basis - kids get into trouble during times away from shelters
○ Youth may try to reconnect w/ family
Other:
Tents, cars, abandoned buildings, roof tops etc.
Between what ages are homeless youth defined as in Canada? Why this age range?
16-24
○ Below 16 - cannot legally go to youth shelter; must go to children’s aid
○ Why is range up to 24? Once your 25, shifted to adult system
According to Hagan & McCarthy, what are the most common types of street youth crime?
drug selling, prostitution, theft
According to Hagan & McCarthy, what factors most influence criminal behaviour among street youth?
Immediate Factors - lack of stable housing, drug and alcohol use, and criminal peers who engage in illegal activities
§ Rougher they were, more likely they were involved in drug & alcohol abuse
§ Had criminal peers involved in such activities
§ Youth involved in crime blamed situation on factors beyond their control (e.g. blamed society)
What theory accounts for why youth who take responsibility for their criminal actions less likely to be involved in crime in the future?
Attribution Theory - how we attribute feelings and intentions to people to understand their behaviour
Internal Attribution - use personal factors to account for behaviour (e.g. traits, abilities, or feelings)
External Attribution - use situational factors to account for behaviour
According to O’Grady & Goetz, what are non-criminal ways of making money? Describe the characteristics of the individuals based on their occupation.
○ Job: high school grads; left home 16+ (those who left younger didn’t fit in category)
○ Soc. Assistance.: females, young mothers
○Begging/panhandling: left home young; don’t make much money
○ Squeegee: did not finish high school; make more money than begging; approach motorist at red light, wash windshields & collect change; illegal; many involved in drug dealing
○ Sex work: 13.5 age; left home; female; no H.S. education; face abuse; Indigenous
○ Crime: male, poor growing up, came from T.O
- Previous relationship w/ people interested in drugs; know were to find drug dealers within cities
Why would a homeless person no report victimization?
23% don’t report when they have victimized
reflection of the isolation that often comes with being homeless
weakness of social networks that young people are able to rely on when in crisis.
lack of trust of police
Amongst female street youth, which racial demographic is most likely to report being victims of sexual assault?
black females were much more likely to report being victims of sexual assault (47%) than were white females (33%)
What is in the role of sexual orientation in determining victimization?
LGBTQ+ female youth more likely to report being victims of most forms of crime (including both property and violent crimes)
60% of LGBTQ+ female youth report being victims of sexual assault during the past year.
○ most victimized of the street youth population.
What 3 key elements provided a balanced response to youth homelessness?
preventive measures, an emergency response, and efforts to move young people quickly out of homelessness
Intervening early allows for better outcomes
What is the relationship between homelessness & self-identity?
- Youth think of themselves as individuals not belonging to a stigmatized group (the homeless)
○ Don’t want to admit to homelessness due to fear of stigmatization
