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DOCUMENT RESUME A 'ED 203 274 CG 015 276 Homeless Youth: The Saga of "Pushouts" and . "Throwaways" in America. Report of the Subcommittee on the Constitution of the Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, Ninety-Sixth Congress, Second Session; INSTITUTION Congress of the U.S., Washington, D.C. Senate Committee on the Judiciary. PB DATE Dec BO . NOTE 2520: Not available in paper ;copy dui to small 4/41ILAHLE FROM Superintendent.of Documents,'M.S. Government Printing Offitei Washington, DC '20402. EDRS PRICE MFOtlilus Postage. PC Not Available from EDRS. DESCRIPTORS: *Adolescents: *Child. AbuSe:',,,Chi.lid,Neglect: Family Orobiems:.HelpinT:RelatiOnship:', Juvenile Courts; *Parent Child RelatiOnthip: PrOblem.Zolving: *RuhawayWViolencei *youth Rrograms juisTgApT This report of the-,SenateSubcommittee,on the Comstitution examines the' )henOmenon OehOieljets yoUthoinCluding the population, fheirfamiliese. survival tactics, the availabiLityof services, and futureoutlOokSA SectiOnretriewingths:legal constraints imposed on young people Aidhaffect their, ability to 1iVe: on their own.,it folloWecf,b/ a review of the agenclesserving: 11,0MelesSyouth With dita,:aimpressionSdoliected:from;0 Interviews.. A:desdpiptiOnof runaway litogratsthroughoUt.the:United Stites. ncluded. Data frOm ou.6'sits pto.greOnyiSitsanUinterviei0 with. agency personnel,,policeofficets,:and InvenileAUstiCe, 'corrections, public assistanCes, mental health4 and childcare personnel, are reported. 4:41 .are .'also included frbm case reOardSof runaways and interviews )Conducted.with-homeless youth about. the quality of their liveti StirViValHtethrigues,'difficult,ies'endOuntered in obtaining,foodo shelterand:'emPloyment and their. hopes for*Oefuture.HS'lle appendices contain the Juvenile Justice and.:Runtway yoUth acts and amendments, additiOnalreports on hoieless youth and child-abuse, and interview ,torms for agency'Tersonnel and.youthS. (NRS) O a **Ig******************************************************************* * Refiroductions supplied by EDRS are the tiest that can be made * * . from the original. document.. * ***************4!****************************************************4! COMMITTER PRINT HOMELESS YOUTH : THESAGA OF "PUSHOUTS" AND "THROWAWAYS'' IN AMERICA REPORT, ceTHE SURCOMMITTEE ON THECONSTITUTION OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY UNITED, STATES SENATE . NINETY-SIXTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION U S DEPARTMENT OFHEALTH, EDUCATION IL WELFARE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF , EOUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HA'SJBEENREPRO.t OUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVEDFROM i THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATIONORIGIN.' I; AT MG IT POINTS 0.F VIEW OROPINIONS,Sit STATED'OD NOT'NEcESSARiLlREPRE! SENT OFFICIAL NATIONALINSTIT,uyE,OF.i: EDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY DECEMBER 1980 Printed for the use of the Committee onthe Judiciary U.S.GOVERNMENT6PRINTING OFFICE 684910 WASHINGTON : 1980 For iale by the Superintendent of Documents,U.S. Government Printing (Mee: ' Washington,' D.C. 20402 . c. COMMITTEE ONTHE JUDICIARY (06th C°tigress] EDWARD M. KENNEDY,Massaciuletts, Chairman BIRCH BATH, Indiana STRai THURMOND, SouthCarolina ROBERT C. BYRD, 'wat Virginia CHARLES MCC. MATHIAS, JR., Maryland JOSEPH R. BIDEN, JR., Delaware a. PAUL LAXALT, Nevada . JOHN C. CULVER; Iowa ORRIN G. HATCH, Utah HOWARD M. METZENBAUM, Ohio ROBERT DOLE, Kansas . DENNIS DECONCINI, Arizona THAD COCHRAN, Mississippi PATRICK 4. LIDAHT, Vermont ALAN K. SIMPSON, Wioming ,MAX BAUCUS, Montana . HOWELL HEFLIN, Alabama STEPHEN BREYER, Chief Counsel EMORY BREEDEN, tifinority Chief Counsel StilicoMMITTEE ONTHE CONSTITUTION BIRCH BATH, Indiana, Chairman HOWARD M. litETiHNI3AUM, Ohio . ORRIN.G: HATCH, Utah. DENNIS DECONCINI, Arizona STROM THURMOND, South Carolina HOWELL HEFLIN, Alabama ' ALAN X. SIMPSON, Wyoming Mom O. FALEY, Chief 'Counsel and Execistive Director' ' MARY K. JOLLY, Staff DirrOt0; and Counsel WIGS WOODSIDE, Consultant THOMAS PARRY, Minority Chief Counsel FOltEWoRD The Jilvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 was' rounded on our findings that the Nation's-jiiVenile justice systems 'were collectively often more harmful, in terms of expensive overhead find the likelihood that Involvement actually led a Child to more fre- . quent and increasinkly serious violations, than helpful. One of the key .features of the Juvenile Justice Act has beerille -Runaway and HomelessYouth Act: Title III of the Law; designed to provide assistance' to States, localities, and nonprogt. private agencies to operate temporary shelter care facilities in .arefis where runaway and homeless youth are more prevalent. America's homeless youth in chide those neglected and physically, emotionally and sexually abused youth 'wffo have become our "pushouts" and "throwaway" children. The,Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, which has a strong bipartisan majority is one of. the bese'examples that can be; cited where legisla- tion passed by. Congress has had ito direct, positive result in the local community, Over 150 'programs .funded by the Act each year have made it possible for thousands of troubled youths to get help and for homeless yonnepeople to -find as decent .place to live on temporary basis. In other cases, thousands of families have been reunited and set to work on solving their Ateenipts to reunite these young . \people with their families isiproblems. the ultimate goal of the Act. One of the most troubling problems is that such children, labeled as 1. "status offenders by most states, are treated like criminals. This is rep- rehensible. it is beyond reason to believe that incarcerating an abused or homeless young person in a jail or otherlockedlacility.along.with juveniles and adults Who hive committed violent and serious crimes .could possibly be a sound action. Ip these oases the cureis worse than the disease and costs the taxpayers millions of dollars to finance, in addition to the emotional costs to the'children and their families. - . particular,;.the homeless youth population continues to go noticed because it is a silent problem, far less dramatic than most of the other ills that affect our young people: They are confused boys and. agirls who are overburdened with.personal, family, or school problems and decide to leaye home, or more likely are cast from their homes by families with ;intense personal. ptoblems thenriselves. They deserve our help and understanding. Federal, laws cannot provide a solution to the hOnieless youths rob- but' rather can encourage local initiatives and can .provide some of the resources necessary.for local leaders to do the job. Thebest.pre- vention, still resides in the home:Parents must watch for dOor that is constantly closedthe .doer to both the young person's room, and mind. Youngsters need the assurance thafthey are an integral parrot ... the familyunit. The ability to talk things, over can never be given short shrift. This Report examipes the phenomenon ofhomeless-youth,defines. the populationrclescribes the families these youth collie from,discusses (ra), Iv their survival tactic:4 when they liveOtt their own, examines tr16 eery Ices Itild resOiirces. a V It I 111 I/10or i 11 e IC ing to tlioni mid t1issesses their Ifuture, .. We must. continlie to strive for improvedjuvenile shetter. facilities, hnproved court prOCemes, and provide basicrights and responsibilities . ' for our young. people. As in the past,young. pedple of the future will . continne,tb disagree with their pitrents, rebel against society, andrun Zr be cast out, searching for something hotterin life. What happens to theist tomorrow is a problem thatwe must work toward solving.to day. It is one duty to helpassure that those youth who havecome apart from the community will 'instead becomea part of it. It is our ._- responsibility to offer them a..luture Worthy_ of- anticipation -and-morn ----.--- fully...acknowledge that, our voting peopleare but Nation's mkt, via- iiable: resource, ... ..V. - October 2, 1980. relintcH Chairman,- Subcommittee othp Constitution.-- .0 N. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT' I wish to give special thanks 'Migs Woodside, %consultant tothe her exceptional work, high Subcommittee on the Conatitiition, for3 this (. standard of.professionalism andinvaluable assistance in preparing Report. Her long lidurs of dedicatedservice have enabled the subcom- in the area of juvenile justice,for --. mitterito carry out its responsibilities .' . .. which she is highly commended. the fields of drug 4' Migs Woodside hasbeen actively, committed to justice since 1968 when shefirst worked abuse, alcoholism and juvenile Inc., ut Daytop Village, Inc. andlater at Phoenix House Foundation, both therapeutic communities forthe rehabilitation ofaddicts; Al- administrative functionsohe was though she performed executive and make involved on a daily basis with youngpeople who were trying to . substance abuse. Subsequently, the necessary changes to abstain from Agancy, she became Assistant Commissionerof the Addiction Services for over 150 drugrehabilitation pro- City of New York, the umbrella maintaining this health service, grama. Imaddition to setting policy,in for 'network and in developing prioritiesfor allocating $80 million treatment prograMs and Agencyoperations,.. she was thesole repre- Board of Estimate 'and tothe Federal sentative to the New York City ., ( Government. consultant to theU.S.In.Senate 1977, Migs Woodside became a re-- Subcommittee to Investigate 'JuvenileDelinquency and produced Phencyclidine (PCP), whi611provided the ports including one on Subcommittee to basis for two Hearings heldjointly by the Senate. the Subcommittee onAlcoholism