DESPONDENT YOUTH IN THE UNITED STATES

Despondent Youth in the United States

Amber Bryan
Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing
November 6th, 2014

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Youth in the United States (U.S.) that are left by their parents to be homeless are at an
outstanding number. These youth lack parental, foster, or institutionalized care and they are also
a part of the vulnerable population because they are at a higher risk for physical abuse, sexual
exploitation, mental health disabilities, substance abuse, and death (Finzel, 2013). Most of the
time they know nothing more than a life of despair and have learned ways to adapt to the
environment in which they live. There is an estimation that around 5,000 unaccompanied youth
die each year as a result of assault, illness, or suicide (Finzel, 2013). These despondent youth
have no place to call home, and most do not recognize all of the conveniences of today, such as
cellphones, as they are just worried about when their next meal will come. Youth that are left
without a place to call home are a very vulnerable population that face a lot of struggles. I chose
this vulnerable population because they are often swept under the rug, making it important to
bring awareness to the community to help and create resources. Those who compose the U.S.
homeless population are among the most marginalized and vulnerable to disabilities and disease
(Anderson, 2014, p. 322). Many people focus on the adult homeless population without realizing
that young adults and children are among this population in despair. It is the job of a community
health nurse to attempt to address these issues and find help for these young people before it is
too late.
Common reasons the youth are seen in this type of situation include social determinants
of health such as family problems, transitions from foster care and other public health systems,
and economic problems (Finzel, 2013). Many youth often run away and become homeless in the
end because there is nowhere for them to reside. They run away from their familys problems
only to often find larger problems for themselves. Foster care and institutions also put these
young people at a greater risk for homelessness. A reason for this could be that in foster care

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there is little or no housing or income available to care for this vulnerable population. This makes
it a high risk for despondent youth ending up on the streets (Finzel, 2013). Also, during harsh
economic times youth can be living on the streets with their parents after a foreclosure or
difficulty maintaining a job, and they can be separated from their parents usually due to shelter or
child welfare policies (Finzel, 2013). There are also many educational barriers for this population
such as enrollment and school success. Some of these include but are not limited to the lack of
transportation, immunizations, school fees, food, and clothing (Anderson, 2014, p. 323). Teacher
and staff unawareness and insensitivity also contribute to setting these youth up for failure from
the start. Therefore, it is important to recognize these barriers, and this has been recognized with
a piece of legislation known as The McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Act of 2001. This was
legislated to reduce barriers to enrollment, attendance, and success in school. With this act, each
homeless child or youth are ensured equal access to appropriate public education (Anderson,
2014, p. 324).
These social determinants of health also give way to health outcomes for this vulnerable
population. Some health outcomes for these individuals unfortunately include sexually
transmitted infections and risks, malnutrition, respiratory and infectious diseases, mental illness,
and substance use (Beharry, 2012). Social determinants previously discussed such as family
problems related to financial stress or other stressors such as abuse, can make the homeless youth
weary of adults and may lower their inclination to seek care from health professionals. When
homeless youth seek healthcare, they are often seen in an emergency situation. Frequently, they
will present to the emergency department, reproductive health clinics, or school-based clinics.
When they arrive at these facilities, these adolescents often present with complications from
sexually transmitted infections that have gone untreated. On the other hand, few youth who feel a

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strong connection to their primary care doctor will travel great distances to preserve continuity of
care with a trusted adult (Beharry, 2012). There are strategies to prevent the social determinants
of health put into place. These are known as primary prevention strategies which prevent people
who are at risk for homelessness from becoming homeless. These strategies include emergency
financial assistance, legal assistance, and financial advisement (Anderson, 2014, p. 323). It is
vital for those at risk for homelessness do not lose the connection from the social support that
they currently have. One intervention for this vulnerable population is knowing what community
resources exist prior to a patients presentation. Social workers are invaluable contacts for
learning about homeless youth services and can help get young people connected to shelters and
can assist with any legal barriers to accessing care (Beharry, 2012). On the other hand, there are
interventional options for when social workers are not available for this population. If not
available, providers can contact local shelters, religious and community organizations directly.
The services for homeless youth and homeless families are often kept detached from those for
single adults, but shelters set up for homeless adults will be aware of which resources are
available for youth. In addition to the barriers mentioned earlier, homeless young adults have
revealed other barriers such as lack of knowledge regarding use of insurance (for those who have
insurance), confidentiality issues, and the perception that health care systems have restrictive
rules and regulations that have been associated with poor service utilization (Getzoff, 2010).
Interventions to address these issues as well should be implemented to provide better outcomes.
One way these interventions can be implemented is through state legislation for the promotion of
better education and providing housing for this population, primary causes of some of the
previously mentioned barriers. Some states have adopted a variety of policies to combat youth

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homelessness as a whole. These policies address the educational needs of homeless and runaway
youth while others appropriate money for shelters and transitional housing (Finzel, 2013).
Along with state goals and legislation, there are also global goals for vulnerable
populations as well. There are eight Millennium Developmental Goals (MDGs) that are targeted
to reduce poverty, global inequities, and to promote health and social welfare of the worlds
citizens (Anderson, 2011, p. 7). Of these eight goals, I believe there is one that relates to the
homeless youth in the U.S., which is to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. As discussed
before, homeless youth often experience poverty, putting them in the homeless situation in the
first place. Hunger could exist due to a lack of financial resources necessary to support basic
human needs. The MDG report states that although global poverty rates have decreased there
are still significant disparities (Anderson, 2011, p. 7). Although this goal is enacted toward a
global perspective, the homeless youth of the U.S. can still benefit from the strategies used to
eliminate poverty in vulnerable populations. One of these strategies is microfinance to provide
the poor with access to financial services including savings plans and opportunities for lowinterest loans to stimulate income-generating businesses (Anderson, 2011, p. 8). Homeless youth
can use microfinance systems provided by the community in order to keep their dignity and earn
a sense of pride for what they have accomplished. Global goals for health such as this can make
a large impact on every vulnerable population and bring awareness to those populations that are
often overlooked, such as the homeless youth of the U.S. These youth need all the help they can
get before they stop believing in themselves, and it is too late. It will always be important to
focus on struggling youth in any population, as they are a part of the future for that generation.
For the future, it will be important to keep track of these youth and provide all resources

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available in order to push towards the completion of the MDG to eradicate extreme poverty and
hunger

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References
Anderson, E.T., Mcfarlane, J. (2011). Community as Partner: Theory and practice in nursing.
Philedelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Beharry, M.S. (2012). Health Issues in the Homeless Youth Population. Pediatric Annals. doi:
10.3928/00904481-20120307-12
Finzel, R. (2013). Homeless and Runaway Youth. Retrieved from
http://www.ncsl.org/research/human-services/homeless-and-runaway-youth.aspx
Getzoff, D., Greengold, B., Hudson, A.L., Khalilifard, F., Koniak-Griffin, D., Nyamathi, A.,
Slagle, A. (2010). Health-Seeking Challenges Among Homeless Youth. doi:
10.1097/NNR.0b013e3181d1a8a9