Homeless Youth and Youth

Runaway and Homeless Youth Act of 2008-PL 110-378

The Runaway and Homeless Act of 2008 built on legislation established in the 1970s that addressed youth issues in an attempt to keep youths from entering into the juvenile corrections system. Over the years, the Act has been reauthorized and expanded to support programs that aid homeless and runaway youths. Currently, reauthorization is awaiting approval in Congress. Leahy has added the rights of LGBT youths to the proposal, which has prompted Republicans to reject it. Thus, millions in funding is being withheld from programs that depend on federal dollars. This paper discusses the background of the Act and the proposal for reauthorization and why it should be given so that programs may continue and youths may be assisted.

Introduction

The Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act also known as the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act of 2008-PL 110-378 is current legislation that was passed in 2008 at the federal level and that authorized the Runaway and Homeless Youth Program -- "the largest targeted federal program that provides assistance to youth under age 23 who are homeless or have run away" (p. 1). In 2015, the legislation was introduced into the Senate for reauthorization. The Runaway and Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act is the present form of the Act, and it seeks to modify the Basic Center Grant Program (a service providing short-term emergency shelter and family reunification to runaway and/or homeless youth). This paper will discuss the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act and show why it is a policy that supports social justice for young persons with issues related to homelessness and why reauthorization should be granted.

Body

Proposed Legislation

The Runaway and Homeless Youth Act is legislation that was passed in 2008 and that was established by the Runaway Youth Act as Title III of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 (JJDPA; P.L. 93-415). Since that time it has been amended on several occassions and millions of dollars in allocated funds have been reauthorized for several fiscal years. In recent years, it has been amended by the Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act (RHYA, 2014). Today, the program has three core components: the Basic Center Program (BCP) -- which gives short-term assistance to youths (including up to 30 days of shelter now); the Transitional Living Program (TLP) -- which gives housing; and the Street Outreach Program (SOP) -- which assists young persons living on the streets (S.262 -- 114th Congress, 2016).

Goals and Values

The goals of the reauthorization of this Act are to provide assistance to runaway and/or homeless youths through a variety of programs that address issues faced by runaways, homeless young persons, victims sexual abuse, and life on the streets for LGBT youths. The values that are expressed in this piece of legislation are based on the need to identify and show care for all young persons who leave home to escape an abusive environment or who have no home due to other circumstances; it is rooted in caring for young persons who have no recourse and no one to help them. As the 2014 Introduction to the legislation's renewal noted, such youths "often endure far more negative outcomes than their romanticized counterparts [Huck Finn and Davey Crockett] from an earlier era" (p. 1). The Act goes on to state that "without adequate and safe shelter, runaway and homeless youth are vulnerable to engaging in high-risk behaviors and further victimization" (p. 1). In prior years, the reauthorization bill also had supporters who urged that the law focus on helping gay and transgender youths, noting that "gay and transgender youth are more likely to be homeless than other youth" (Dunn, Krehely, 2012, p. 1). In short, the values associated with the Act are rooted in a society need to assist young persons who struggle with a variety of issues that may be outside their control. No values are clearly stated or identified in the act itself, and the ones noted above are generally implied and inferred: what is clear is that the Act is designed to help young persons who face issues associated with homelessness.

The current amendment of the Act is with the Committee on the Judiciary, where it has been referred by the Senate. The Act's reauthorization is asking $165 million in funding and is sponsored by Senator Patrick Leahy, a Democrat representing Vermont. There are currently 33 cosponsors (2 Republicans, 1 Independent, and 30 Democrats) (Cosponsors: S.262 -- 114th Congress, 2016).

Financial Effects

The financial effects of this bill are that there will be substantial funding available for youths in need of shelter, for assisting youths who live on the streets, and for providing reunification assistance to families. The sum requested by the reauthorization bill is substantial but not overwhelming for the federal government and thus should represent no real problem. The effects of funding are realistically seen in, among other ways, the implementation of TLP, which provides safe accommodations, basic life skills, educational opportunities, mental health care, physical health care and job services (Federal Programs, 2015). The federal government is responsible for contributing these funds, which means, ultimately, taxpayers are the ones who support it.

The proposal for reauthorization will impact young persons who are in need of assistance of all varieties -- from basic necessities such as food and shelter to help getting their GED, help finding a job, help with health issues, etc. Young persons, as the proposed reauthorization legislation suggests, are particularly vulnerable to risks -- such as sexual exploitation, drug abuse, neglect, depression, alcoholism, physical abuse, and more. By taking care of youths who are in a helpless state, communities can be better served and protected.

Who is Affected

This reauthorization proposal would also help persons of all color, class and gender persuasion in many ways: because homelessness impacts youths who feel oppressed and therefore runaway (typically minorities -- whether racial or gender), this proposal would help to support minority youths by providing them shelter, a chance at education, self-esteem support through counseling, and shelter while more suitable accommodations can be arranged.

Social conditions surrounding this proposal are deteriorating all throughout the country: Black Lives Matter has raised awareness about racial tensions in cities; gender identity issues have been raised on college campuses and in mainstream media (Bruce Jenner's sex change, like other celebrities such as the Wachowski siblings, has generated a lot of attention), and the need to help youth has been a staple in American society since the upheavals of the 1970s. This legislation is thus being considered because it addresses issues that affect young people: as homes become broken, domestic violence occurs and youths choose to escape their environments; or they face bullying and pressures from peers for being different, and they run away. This proposal recognizes that youths in such cases need assistance, guidance, counseling and shelter.

As for actual statistics regarding this issue, approximately 1.68 million runaway or homeless youth live in the U.S. currently. Of these, nearly 400,000 stay away from their homes for at least a week and more than 100,000 are away for a month or more. Of these number, only 50,000 receive assistance from homeless youth programs. For example, in 2014, nearly 5,000 youths were turned away from TLP programs and nearly 2500 were turned away from Basic Centers -- the funding to take in more youths was simply not there and these young persons in need could not be taken care of properly as a result. Thus, the need for more funding is imperative, which is why in fiscal year 2016, the sponsors of the reauthorization proposal are seeking $165 million (National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2016).

Likewise, the economic conditions of today can cause youths to despair: they see debt all around them -- debt from schooling, debt from home ownership, debt that their parents may have accrued over the years and that they now struggle to pay back: all of this can be very oppressive for them. Thus, another reason the reauthorization proposal seeks so much is because youths of today have so little.

Since the 1970s when youth issues began to really surface in the U.S., the concerns of juveniles and young adults have been addressed by Congress. As has already been stated, the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act has its roots in the 1974 legislation that has grown over the decades to include more and more troubled youths who need help. Because this particular legislation has been reauthorized for several years, it is easy to know its shortcomings and its effects. The 2016 proposal knows what the programs need to survive, which is why the allocation of funds is pegged at $165 million.

Key Players

Key players and sponsors in this proposal are overwhelmingly Democratic. Leahy is the sponsor, a Democrat from Vermont. The position of Leahy on this proposal is that it should be adopted so as to ensure that no youths are turned away from the doors of the programs that are there to help them. To establish programs and shelters and then tell those looking for need that they cannot come in is self-defeating: thus, if the Act is to have an impact, it must be adequately funded. Leahy's main objective with this proposal is to allow those who care "to intervene early to keep runaway and homeless youth from entering our juvenile justice system and prevent them from becoming trapped in a cycle of dependency or victimization" (Leahy, 2015a).