When it comes to homelessness one demographic that I don’t see talked about often is teenage homeless and displaced folk, and in Oklahoma alone there are over 26,000 homeless children. One common form of homelessness is “couch homelessness” which is not the stereotypical living on the street kind of homelessness that most people think of when they hear the word. Up to 21% of displaced students in Oklahoma experience couch homelessness, where they sleep in motels, their car, on the floor, in friends homes, any form of not having a home of their own. 62% of displaced students stay in homeless shelters, and while they are helpful, they are not an environment that is conducive to a healthy childhood and a good environment to grow, learn, and live in. These statistics are only for Oklahoma, but the broader look at youth homelessness in the United States is much more grim.
Around 4.2 million teens and young adults face homelessness across the united states as a whole, and an estimated 700.000 are unaccompanied without any parents or family members. This form of displacement is not only horrific in that a teen is on the streets on their own, but for the teens abandoned by their families the feelings of isolation and betrayal that one must feel is absolutely heart wrenching, especially considering the horrible things and people that will take advantage of and harm the young, impressionable people who have nowhere else to go. One in thirty youth ages 13-17 will experience homelessness in a year, and according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, one in three teens are coerced into prostitution within 48 hours of becoming displaced, and unfortunately this is only one of the horrible things that frequently happens to homeless and displaced youth.
Studies have shown that the major factors that lead to youth homelessness are pregnancy, substance abuse, troubles at school, and sexual orientation, these factors cause family conflict and interpersonal struggles which lead to the loss of a safe home for these youth. The same study states that females are more likely to run away from home than males. Among White, Black, and Hispanic youth counted in the study, Black youth have the highest rates of running away, however, Native American youth were not considered in this study, and other sources state that they have more than double the risk of experiencing homelessness compared to other demographics.
These results could be the product of socioeconomic factors, as studies show that 1 in 3 Native Americans live in poverty, with a median income of 23,000 a year. These numbers come from the American Community Survey and they show the drastic income inequality that an overwhelming amount of Native Americans face. In recent years Native American tribal nations have invested large amounts of money into offering education and sending native children to schools, more Native Americans have gone to high school and college than ever before, but along with this almost 80% of the Native population lives in a rural area. However, regardless of the grand investments in education, the employment rate among Native Americans has gone down, and wage growth has decreased all in the same period. Taking into consideration that poverty tends to be higher in rural areas, the poverty gap between Native Americans in rural and urban areas is larger than the White rural-urban gap, so poverty among Natives is not related to the fact that a majority reside in rural areas. The driving factor behind Native American poverty, which in turn leads to homelessness and displacement for many young folk, is actually employment. The loss of a large number of jobs in manual labor like construction and manufacturing, the plateauing of minimum wage, and the increase in unstable employment opportunities. Beth Redbird, an assistant professor of Sociology and IPR and CNAIR fellow, says that “One of the things that we also know about jobs is there’s been this declining relationship between working and a job’s ability to help you get out of poverty,” and much of the statistics referenced in this section were from her work when it comes to analyzing the socioeconomic state of much of our nation’s Native population.
Youth who have been involved in the foster care system their whole lives or are growing out of the foster system have high rates of homelessness, and the constant shifting of where they live and who they live with can lead to feelings of being lost, abandoned, or forgotten, which many older children in the foster system often are. The HHS says that nearly a third of youth who are homeless have been in foster care at one time, and 22% of youth experience homelessness within the first year after leaving the foster system. In all of the United States 50% of all homeless people have spent time in foster care, and 20% of youth who are emancipated at 18 become homeless the moment they leave the system. A sad reality is that many children who are raised in the foster system are pushed down the pipeline from foster care to prison, with youth who are placed in group homes being 2.5 times more likely to get involved with the justice system, and 90% of youth who have been with 5 or more foster placements eventually entering the justice system. According to data from the JLC, 437,500 children in foster care face a disproportionate chance of being incarcerated, 1/4th of all foster alumni get involved in the criminal justice system within two years of exiting the foster system. This is only made worse by the fact that many of these youth go through the all too common foster care to prison to homelessness pipeline.
I spoke with the family services specialist, Lexy Padilla, and I got some wonderful insight on this problem from her. Padilla says that her purpose is to help people, this is why she got into this line of work. As she said, people need people, it’s just a part of human nature. Ms Padilla is a social worker, and because of that it is her job to advocate for those in need, and to help raise up people, families, and communities in crisis, it’s a passion and a calling for her and it has always been this way. She’s a licensed social worker with a Bachelor’s degree in social work and working on her master’s, her high degree of education lets her come into the workplace and help those in need. Social work and helping others is a major part of her life, she says that “This is something very near and dear to my heart.”
One might ask “What does a family services specialist do?” but the more accurate question would be “What does she not do!” Padilla can help students and their families with anything they might need or have issues with that could potentially affect their academic success. She helps with homelessness, food deprivation, Medicaid applications, food stamps/SNAP, etc. She also works with student absenteeism and does home visits. When teachers and staff send her a referral she does her best to dig deep into what the issue could be at home, it’s her job to help families and figure out in what way she can help. She gave me an example of something that had happened, she received a referral for a student who was frequently absent and so she spoke with the family of the student. It turned out that the family had no transportation, the mother had lost her job, they had little to no food and no running water and were on the verge of being evicted. Padilla went straight into action to help this student and their family, sometimes issues that seem simple at face value like absenteeism can be so much deeper than they seem. Helping out those who are struggling is what social workers are there for, family centered, people-focused work! She finds and delivers resources to assist the family in whatever it may be that they’re struggling with, no matter what. She meets families where they are, not just physically, but meeting them where they’re at in the crisis they’re facing, emotionally and mentally.
Displacement affects students in a multitude of ways, not only is it harmful to their mental health, but also their physical health, and their academic success. These effects aren’t the same for everyone though, you have to look at homelessness and displacement like it’s a trauma, it affects everyone differently. Some people handle it well to the point where you wouldn’t know that they were going through something like that, while others don’t process it well and they end up struggling greatly with it. No one can expect a student to be able to perform well at school while they’re in a situation where their basic needs aren’t being met. Looking at the well renowned theory of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, the basic human needs that must be met for their psychological well being are: food, water, warmth, and rest, and in many cases students who are homeless or displaced do not have access to, or have limited access to some or all of these things, and these are only the basic needs. The second tier is security and safety, both of which are hard to come by when it comes to students facing these situations. Even more difficult for these students is the third tier of belongingness and love needs, where intimate relationships and friends are supposed to be met. Intimate relationships doesn’t necessarily refer to romantic partnerships, it can relate to a close familial bond or a very close friendship. Just the two bottom tiers of basic human needs are rarely met for those who are displaced, this is truly reflective of the pain and strife that many homeless teens experience every day.
However dire a student’s situation may be, there are still many people who are reluctant to or downright refuse to get help. There is such a stigma around getting public assistance that many people let their pride overshadow the problems they’re facing and how it affects not only them, but their families and their academic future. A student coming forward about their family’s struggles may seem simple to anyone who’s not in the situation, but their parents may have a problem with getting “handouts” and may not want them to talk to their counselors and other school staff about it. Ms Padilla said this statement that I find very important, “We have to end the stigma that comes along with asking for help — [it’s] not a hand OUT it’s a hand UP.” Assistance is not showing that you’re weak or can’t help yourself, it only shows that you’re in a tough situation right now. There should be no stigma or judgement around public assistance, people are social creatures, people need people! We should help out those in our community who need it regardless of whether or not it might be seen as a “hand out.” Another issue that comes into play when discussing why people don’t seek help if they need it is the fact that many people don’t know where the resources are or where to even start when it comes to getting assistance, and many people don’t ask. There are many resources available but be aware that there are criteria necessary to obtain some of the things offered. Some are based on income, some are for women and children, and others are for tribal members. If you or your family is struggling with anything please reach out to Ms Padilla or the school counselors so that you can discuss an action plan and the resources available.
“To anyone struggling, in need, or in crisis: you are not alone. There are people that care and that want to help! People need people, it’s as simple as that.” – Lexy Padilla
