Shelters for houseless youth: a follow‐up evaluation^☆

Abstract

This study followed 345 Israeli youngsters who had been residents of two shelters for runaway and homeless youths, 6–12 weeks after their departure. Telephone interviews were conducted with the youngsters, their parents, and social workers in the community. A majority of the youngsters had either returned to their family homes, or had been placed out of home. Their residential stability was found to be low. Post‐shelter place of residence was related to length of stay at the shelter, amount of contact with their family while at the shelter, and manner of departure. Our findings lead to a typology of shelter uses, and also raise questions about the extent to which shelters achieve their declared goals.

A review of services and interventions for runaway and homeless youth: Moving forward

“…The authors conclude that more appropriate services that consider the needs and desires of the children are needed. A similar conclusion was reached by Dekel et al (2003) in their evaluation of Israeli runaway shelters. The authors tracked 345 Israeli adolescents who resided in one of two runaway shelters at six to 12 weeks after their discharge from the shelter.…”

“…Several studies indicate that the number of street youth is increasing worldwide (Booth, 2006; Dekel, Peled, & Spiro, 2003; West, 2003). Toro (2007) notes that research on homelessness began to appear in the late 1990’s outside of the U.S. and that the majority of this research focuses on single homeless adults.…”

Social and Economic Characteristics of Street Youth by Gender and Level of Street Involvement in Eldoret, Kenya

“…Universal reunification of street youth with their families (or whoever is found when they are taken there) without a risk assessment of the home environment has shown limited benefit and can be detrimental [35]–[37]. Whether youth leave home as a result of abusive conditions or as a result of poverty, our data suggest that the vast majority end up on the street because of seriously adverse home environments.…”

Homeless Youth: Characteristics, Contributing Factors, and Service Options

“…The primary focus of these programs is to de-escalate the crisis, establish communication between the youths and their families, attempt to stabilize the home environment, and reunify youths with their families whenever possible (Thompson, Maguin, & Pollio, 2003). The two main goals of shelters is providing a ''safe haven'' for houseless youth that is safe from the hazards of street living and assisting youth in finding a stable, normative residence that suits their needs (Dekel, Peled, & Spiro, 2003).…”