SOC 321 Essay
The Kids of No Future: Finding a way out of homelessness and youth crime
Isaac, J.
Imagine a busy metropolis where people are hurrying off to get to work, strolling along the street window shopping, or running to catch the train. However, in the midst of all these people is a teen who is wondering how and what they will eat that day, and where they will sleep that night. One may ask, why is this teen homeless? How did they become homeless? Why get into trouble with the law instead of getting help? Homeless youth are socially marginalised and often perceived as potentially dangerous, up-to-no-good hoodlums with no future. However, what constitutes as a homeless or street youth? A homeless youth or street youth is an individual who is 25 years old or younger who have been forced to leave their families of origin; have run away from their homes without the consent of their parent or guardian; left foster or group-care placements; those not living on the street but remain engaged in street-involved activities; and those who identify with street culture (MacLaurin & Worthington, 2012). Currently, there are 279 homeless people under the age of 18 in Edmonton, and an estimated 65,000 homeless youth between the ages of 16 and 24 across Canada (“Time to act”, 2013). An ongoing issue with youth homelessness is that it is understudied in Canada (Brown and Amundson, 2010). Although it may be easier to turn away when encountering street youth, this unresolved issue would eventually inflate rather than deflate, in the future. In addition, the longer a youth stays homeless, the more likely they will turn to more serious crimes to survive. Reducing negative perceptions about youth homelessness will be the first step in finding plausible solutions to getting homeless youth off the streets and out of the justice system. Homelessness persists on account of the need to reduce preconceived judgements by understanding the underlying risks and factors of homelessness
Isaac, J.
Imagine a busy metropolis where people are hurrying off to get to work, strolling along the street window shopping, or running to catch the train. However, in the midst of all these people is a teen who is wondering how and what they will eat that day, and where they will sleep that night. One may ask, why is this teen homeless? How did they become homeless? Why get into trouble with the law instead of getting help? Homeless youth are socially marginalised and often perceived as potentially dangerous, up-to-no-good hoodlums with no future. However, what constitutes as a homeless or street youth? A homeless youth or street youth is an individual who is 25 years old or younger who have been forced to leave their families of origin; have run away from their homes without the consent of their parent or guardian; left foster or group-care placements; those not living on the street but remain engaged in street-involved activities; and those who identify with street culture (MacLaurin & Worthington, 2012). Currently, there are 279 homeless people under the age of 18 in Edmonton, and an estimated 65,000 homeless youth between the ages of 16 and 24 across Canada (“Time to act”, 2013). An ongoing issue with youth homelessness is that it is understudied in Canada (Brown and Amundson, 2010). Although it may be easier to turn away when encountering street youth, this unresolved issue would eventually inflate rather than deflate, in the future. In addition, the longer a youth stays homeless, the more likely they will turn to more serious crimes to survive. Reducing negative perceptions about youth homelessness will be the first step in finding plausible solutions to getting homeless youth off the streets and out of the justice system. Homelessness persists on account of the need to reduce preconceived judgements by understanding the underlying risks and factors of homelessness