More Young Parents Seeking Homeless Shelter Services
By: Steve Grumm
A local-interest story from the Post, but I suspect the trend exists elsewhere:
According to a study of homeless youths in the District that will be released Monday by the D.C. Alliance of Youth Advocates (DCAYA), a growing number of parents younger than 24 are seeking shelter. The group surveyed nearly 500 people ages 12 to 24 who were living in emergency shelters, on the street or in other unstable housing arrangements. About half had children — and most had custody of them.
Most of the respondents were driven from their parents’ households for economic reasons, said Daniel Brannen, executive director of Covenant House Washington, a youth shelter in Southeast Washington that participated in the study. About four of every five said they left because of eviction or because their homes had become too crowded with multiple families in one house.
More youths have been expected to “bring to the table, not just take from it,” said Dan Davis, director of outreach at Sasha Bruce Youthwork in Southeast Washington, which also surveyed young people for the report. If they can’t contribute, youths are sometimes asked to leave, Davis said.
A lack of education, particularly among young parents who haven’t completed high school, and high youth unemployment rates have exacerbated the problem, the report says.
Here’s an announcement about the DCAYA report, which includes a link to it.
