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Homeless Youth in Connecticut

Homeless Youth in Connecticut. What did CT’s first Study reveal? What are next steps?. Youth who are homeless are often INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE INVISIBLE.

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Homeless Youth in Connecticut

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  1. Homeless Youth in Connecticut What did CT’s first Study reveal? What are next steps?

  2. Youth who are homeless are often INVISIBLEINVISIBLEINVISIBLEINVISIBLE

  3. I was a runaway teen at 14. I left the motel room where my mother and I stayed. In order to eat, I became a prostitute. I started “using” to numb all of the pain. I’ve been homeless for 5 years—I didn’t have any supports. I didn’t know where to go. I think if there were services at the time I became homeless I would be a high school graduate by now and probably beginning my sophomore year in college. If I had the right services I think my life would have been different.- Bre, age 19

  4. Who are these kids?

  5. Some facts • No state system or institution owns this • Limited crisis options • Only 15 youth crisis beds in state • Boys not allowed in many family shelters

  6. Some facts Street outreach programs provided 5414 youth with food and 1774 youth with health and hygiene products in one year. Almost 200 children and youth identified by DCF as victims of prostitution from 2008 - 2013. How many more are uncounted?

  7. Some facts Didn’t know… • how many? • what are their experiences? • how to find them? • what services are needed?

  8. Invisible No More: Findings & Advocacy From Connecticut’s First Study of Youth Who Are Homeless

  9. Statewide Study released in DecemberDerrick Gordon, PhD and Bronwyn Hunter, PhD, The Consultation Center, Yale University School of Medicine • Interviewed 98 youth & conducted 16 key informant interviews &1 focus group • Examine and understand youths’ experiences • Identify needs • Recommend ways to address systemic barriers

  10. Demographics • Place interviewed: • Bridgeport = 20 (20%) • Hartford = 40 (40%) • Lower Fairfield = 3 (3%) • New Haven = 29 (29%) • New London = 6 (6%) • Gender: • 53 Females (55%) • 41 Males (42%) • 3 Transgender (3%)

  11. Demographics • Race: • 43 (49%) African American • 22 (25%) Mixed Race • 21 (24%) Caucasian • 1 (1%) Asian • 1 (1%) American Indian/Alaska Native • Ethnicity: • 33 (35%) Hispanic/Latino

  12. Demographics • Age = 18.9 (SD 2.5) • Range = 14 – 24 years • Relationship Status: • 69 (72%) single • 21 (22%) partnered • 5 (5%) living with partner • 1 (1%) married

  13. Demographics • Sexual orientation: • 75 (77%) heterosexual • 14 (14%) bisexual • 6 (6%) gay/lesbian • 2 (2%) not sure

  14. Educational Experience • 25 (27%) received special education services • 29 (32%) dropped out of school • 10 (12%) reported school said they could no longer attend

  15. Educational Experience • Barriers: • Academics • Social awkwardness • Challenges with classmates • Facilitators: • Supports at school • Completing high school • Close relationships with key personnel • Some financial support

  16. Mental Health • 23 (24%) considered suicide • 14 (14%) made a plan and tried to commit suicide • 9 (9%) tried 1 time • 5 (5%) tried 2 or 3 times • 6 (6%) reported that the attempt resulted in injury or poisoning • Avg number of trauma experiences endorsed is 5 (SD 3) • 61 (62%) endorsed three or more traumatic events

  17. Finances • 63 (66%) unemployed • 34 (34%) employed • 28 (82%) employed part time • Income range $0 = $9,999 • 65 (67%) borrowed money (past year) • 46 (47%) went hungry (past year) • 25 (26%) want to seek medical care but couldn’t

  18. Family of Origin • 48 (51%) raised by mother • 23 (24%) raised by mother and father • Parent’s highest education • 12th grade n = 65 (77%) • Contact with DCF = 52 (53%) • Of those, removed from home by DCF = 36 (37%)

  19. Housing • 48 (49%) youth had moved more than six times in their lifetime • Kicked out of home by family at least one time = 57 (58%)

  20. Places Stayed When Displaced • Friends = 71 (72%) • Other relatives = 76 (78%) • Shelter = 42 (43%) • Street/car/outdoors = 37 (38%)

  21. Substance Use • 59 (69%) tried cigarettes • Avg age of 1st use was 14.4 years (SD 3.3) • 75 (76%) tried alcohol • Avg age of 1st drink was 14.7 years (SD 3.4) • 60 (61%) used marijuana • Avg age of 1st use was 14.1 years (SD 2.6)

  22. Sexual Health • 83 (85%) engaged in sexual intercourse • Avg age of 1stintercourse was 14 (SD 3; range 8-23) • 23 (24%) had 1st sexual intercourse 12 or younger • 53 (54%) had 1stsexual intercourse 15 or younger

  23. Sex Trading • Traded sex for • 7 (7%) money • 8 (8%) place to stay • 4 (4%) drugs or alcohol

  24. Age and Sexual Health

  25. Court and Criminal Justice History • 16 (17%) were referred for FWSN • 47 (48%) were arrested • 3 reported that they tried to stay incarcerated because of housing • Difference in gendered referrals

  26. - Complete study can be found here: http://pschousing.org/files/InvisibleNoMoreReport.pdf - Questions?

  27. INVISIBLE no more Study Recommendations: • Create a planning task force • Develop strategies to improve the point-in-time count by expanding the methodology used in gathering data and outreach to capture these young people • Develop strategies that document the needs of these young people as they enter and exit state and community supports

  28. INVISIBLE no more Study Recommendations: • Increase housing resources • Create a comprehensive crisis response system for those who are not involved in Connecticut state systems • Create services to increase the educational outcomes for these young people

  29. Opening Doors 2012 Amendment to Opening Doors: • Improve access to education and educational outcomes of children and young adults experiencing homelessness • Advance health and housing stability for unaccompanied youth experiencing homelessness and youth aging out of foster care and juvenile justice • Obtain more comprehensive information on the scope of youth homelessness • Meet the unique needs of unaccompanied youth - preliminary research-informed intervention model

  30. USICH – Backbone to Opening Doors • 2013 USICH Framework to End Youth Homelessness • 4 Core Outcome Areas • Data strategy – Youth PIT, Data Systems Integration • Capacity strategy - screening and assessment tools and effective interventions to improve youth outcomes, vulnerable subpopulations, implementing service strategies and evaluating those strategies

  31. Opening Doors-CT Goals: • Finish the job of ending chronic homelessness by 2017. • Prevent and end homelessness among Veterans by 2017. • Prevent and end homelessness among families, youth and children by 2022. • Set a path to ending all homelessness.

  32. Reaching Home Campaign • Leadership structure for planning and oversight of Opening Doors-CT • Statewide Steering Committee, Coordinating Committee, and six diverse Workgroups • Annual planning process - data and estimated needs, administrative/programmatic/legislative recommendations • Policy and advocacy strategy

  33. Address the Immediate Safety Needs • Fleeing abuse • Separated from families • Assaulted, victimized/sex trafficked • Sleeping in hallways • Not connected to formal supports • Runaway from DCF • Cost avoidance due to reduced criminal justice activity and reliance on government assistance

  34. Immediate Next Steps 1. Restore $1M state funding to address immediate safety needs of kids in crisis (CGS 17a-62a) • Outreach, drop-in, host home, respite options for immediate needs • Limited longer term supports – transitional living to help with stability and inform service capacity planning • Youth commitment to state services not required for support

  35. Immediate Next Steps 2. Policy advocacyacross state systems: • Meetings with CSSD, DMHAS, DCF & SDE to address identification of youth with housing instability • Training tools to use across agencies • Initiatives to improve educational outcomes for homeless youth • Initiatives to prevent homelessness for youth exiting child welfare

  36. Planning Process Reaching Home Campaign (Opening Doors – CT) Homeless Youth Workgroup Planning Comprehensive Service Integration Advocacy for Policy and Practice Change Data Integration Housing Supports & Services

  37. Planning Process Housing • inventory the state’s current stock of housing options for homeless youth • assess the need for supportive housingfor youth in Connecticut • Make recommendations for a continuum of housing options • Develop a triage & assessment tool to match youth with an appropriate level of housing

  38. Planning Process Supports & Services • focus on developing services described in USICH Youth Intervention Model • four outcomes 1.stable housing 2. education/employment 3. permanency 4. well-being

  39. Planning Process Youth Count & Data Integration • design data collection approaches thatwill provide regularized estimates of need • identify ways to better integrate data from agencies and systems serving youth who are homeless

  40. Youth Count & Data Integration Point-In-Time Count • 2014 PIT Count – Identified 5 Unaccompanied Children • Strict definition of homeless limits the scope of what the PIT can accomplish

  41. Youth Count & Data Integration 2015 Youth Count • In conjunction with the 2015 PIT – an expanded homeless youth count to acquire data on the real scale of youth homelessness in Connecticut • Designing a methodology and data collection approaches

  42. End Product Blueprint for Change

  43. Derrick M. Gordon, Ph.D. Director of Research, Policy & Program on Male Development The Consultation Center, derrick.gordon@yale.edu Brian Roccapriore Director of HMIS and Strategic Analysis Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness, broccapriore@cceh.org Stacey Violante Cote Chair, Youth Workgroup, Reaching Home Campaign, sviolante@kidscounsel.org Alicia Woodsby Interim Executive Director, Partnership for Strong Communities, alicia@pschousing.org

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