DOCUMENT RESUME ED 264 452 CG 018 680 TITLE Oversight Hearing on Runaway and Homeless Youth. Hearing before the Subcommitte on Human Resources of the Committee on Education and Labor. House of Representatives, Ninety-Ninth Congress, First Session. INSTITUTION Congress of the U.S., Washington, D.C. House Committee on Education and Labor. PUB DATE 25 Jul 85 NOTE 186p.; Serial No. 99-23. PUB TYPE Legal/Legislative/Regulatory Materials (090) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC08 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Adolescents; Children; *Child Welfare; Family Problems; Federal Programs; Hearings; *Homeless People; Legislation; *Runaway5; Youth Agencies; *Youth Programs IDENTIFIERS Congress 99th; *Runaway and Homeless Youth Act 1974 ABSTRACT This document contains witnesses testimonies from the Congressional hearing on runaway and homeless youth calledto examine the problem of runaway children and the relationship betweenrunaway and missing children services. In his opening statement Representative Kildee recognizes benefits of theRunaway and Homeless Youth Act. Six witnesses give testimony: (1) June Bucy, executive director of the National Network of Runaway and Youth Services; (2) Dodie Livingston, commissioner of the Administration for Children. Youth and Families, Department of Health and Human Services; (3) Mike Sturgis, a former runaway; (4) Ted Shorten, executive director, Family Connection, Houston, Texas; (5) Twila Young;a family youth coordinator, Iowa Runaway, Homeless, and Missing Youth Services Network, Inc.; and (6) Dick Moran, executive director of Miami Bridge, Miami, Florida. Witnesses praise the Runaway andHomeless Youth Act, giving examples of the successful programs funded by this act. June Bucy describes the increasing need forrunaway youth services and their funding. Twila Young discusses the lack ofrunaway services in rural areas. Dick Moran argues againstcourt ordered lockups of youth. Witnesses stress the positive effects of counseling runaways. Prepared statements by the witnesses and interested persons not testifying are included. (ABL) *********************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best thatcan be made * * from the original document. * *********************************************************************** OVERSIGHT HEARING ON RUNAWAY AND HOMELESS YOUTH HEARING (NJ BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON HUMAN RESOURCES Lt../ OF THE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND LABOR HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES NINETY-NINTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION HEARING HELD IN WASHINGTON, DC, JULY 25, 1985 Serial No. 99-23 Printed for the use of the Committee on Education and Labor U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 0 NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CC) CENTER (ERIC) Vfhis document has been reproduced as CO received from the person or organization originating it. U Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. CD Points of view or opinions stated in this docu- C.) ment do not necessarily represent official NIE position or policy. U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTINGOFFICE 52-9820 WASHINGTON : 1985 BEST COPY AVAILABLE 52-982 0-85-1 COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND LABOR AUGUSTUS F. HAWKINS, California, Chairman WILLIAM D. FORD, Michigan JAMES M. JEFFORDS, Vermont JOSEPH M. GAYDOS, Pennsylvania WILLIAM F. GOODLING, Pennsylvania WILLIAM (BILL) CLAY, Missouri E. THOMAS COLEMAN, Missouri MARIO BIAGGI, New York THOMAS E. PETRI, Wisconsin AUSTIN J. MURPHY, Pennsylvania MARGE ROUKEMA, New Jersey DALE E. KILDEE, Michigan STEVE.GUNDERSON, Wisconsin PAT WILLIAMS, Montana STEVE BARTLETT, Texas MATTHEW G. MARTINEZ, California ROD CHANDLER, Washington MAJOR R. OWENS, New York THOMAS J. TAUKE, Iowa FREDERICK C. BOUCHER, Virginia JOHN R. McKERNAN, JR., Maine CHARLES A. HAYES, Illinois RICHARD K. ARMEY, Texas CARL C. PERKINS, Kentucky HARRIS W. FAWELL, Illinois TERRY L. BRUCE, Illinois PAUL B. HENRY, Michigan STEPHEN J. SOLARZ, New York MERVYN M. DYMALLY, California DENNIS E. ECKART, Ohio TIMOTHY J. PENNY, Minnesota CHESTER G. ATKINS, Massachusetts SUBCOMMITTEE ONHUMAN RESOURCES DALE E. KILDEE,Michigan, Chairman TERRY L. BRUCE, Illinois THOMAS J. TAUKE, Iowa CARL C. PERKINS, Kentucky E. THOMAS COLEMAN, Missouri DENNIS E. ECKART, Ohio THOMAS E. PETRI, Wisconsin AUGUSTUS F. HAWKINS, California JAMES M. JEFFORDS, Vermont (Ex Officio) (Ex Officio) (Vacancy) JeldiAVA Y1031?,38 3 CONTENTS Page Hearing held in Washington, DC, July 25, 1985 1 Statement of: Bucy, June, executive director, the National Network of Runaway and Youth Services 18 Livingston, Dodie, commissioner, Administration for Children, Youth and Families, Department of Health and Human Services 2 Sturgis, Mike, Harris County, TX; and Ted Shorten, executive director, Family Connection, Houston, TX 34 Young, Twila, family youth coordinator, Iowa Runaway, Homeless, and Missing Youth Services Network, Inc.; and Dick Moran, executive di- rector, Miami Bridge, Miami, FL 44 Prepared statements, letters, supplemental materials, et cetera: Bentley, Bill, executive director, Florida Network of Youth and Family Services, Inc.: Florida Network of Youth and Family Services, Inc., article entitled 110 Florida Network of Youth and Family Services Member Agency Ad- dress 114 Letter to Susan Wilhelm, staff director, dated August 7, 1985 enclos- ing a statement 108 "The Role Of Prevention In Dealing With Runaway/Troubled Youth and Their Families," article entitled 113 Bucy, June, executive director, the National Networl- of Runaway and Youth Services: Prepared statement of 30 "To Whom Do They Belong" A profile of America's runaway and homeless youth and the programs that help them, booklet entitled 72 Kurtz, Gail L., ACSW, executive director, The Southeastern Network of Runaway. Youth and Family Services, Inc., Gainsville, FL, letter to Susan Wilhelm, staff director, dated August 16, 1985 enclosing a state- ment 105 Livingston, Dodie T., commissioner, Administration for Children, Youth and Families, Department of Health and Human Services: Letter to Hon. Dale Kildee, enclosing responses to questions 173 Prepared statement of 14 Moran, Richard, executive director, Miami Bridge, prepared statement on behalf of Miami Bridge, Catholic Community Services, Archdiocese of Miami, Miami FL 55 Shorten, Theodore, Ph.D., executive director, the Family Connection, Houston, TX, prepared statement of 42 "Statewide Task Force Report on Runaway and Troubled Youth," report from Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services, State of Flori- da 116 Tauke, Hon. Thomas J., a Representative in Congress from the State of Iowa, opening statement of 24 Young, Twila M., Youth aid Shelter Services, Inc., Ames, IA, prepared statement of 46 OVERSIGHT HEARING ON RUNAWAY AND HOMELESS YOUTH THURSDAY, JULY 25, 1985 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND LABOR, SUBCOMMITTEE ON HUMAN RESOURCES, Washington, DC. The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10a.m., in room 2261, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Dale E. Kildee (chairmanof the subcommittee) presiding. Members present: Representatives Kildee, Tauke, and Petri. Staff present: Susan Wilhelm, staff director; S. JeffersonMcFar- land, legislative counsel; Thomas M. Kelley, clerk; and Carol Lamb, minority associate. Mr. KILDEE. The subcommittee will come to order. The Subcommittee on Human Resourcesconvenes this morning for an oversight hearing on the Runaway and HomelessYouth Act. I have often stated that youcan judge a society by how it cares for its very young and itsvery oldthose who are the most vulner- able in our society. Runaway and homeless youthare clearly among the most vulnerable of children. In testimony before the subcommittee at an earlier hearing, 1st Lt. Richard Schoenberger of the Michigan State Police pointed out that mostchildren who leave their homes are not running toany place. Rather they are running away from something. Asa result, they find themselves on the street without resourcesor shelter and are at great risk of ex- ploitation. It was in response to a growingconcern over the need to help such children and their families that the Runaway andHomeless Youth Act was first enacted in 1974. The funds authorizedunder the act have provided the impetus fora nationwide system of shel- ters serving runaway and homeless youth. Accordingto a 1983 report by the Department of Health and Human Services'inspec- tor general, the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act has the distinc- tion of being viewed as one of the bestprograms in the Federal Government. Recent debate on the problem of missing children has highlight- ed the need for adequate support systems for children. Bymost counts, runaways comprise the largest percentage of missing chil- dren. Given that runaway shelters providean effective support system for children and their families, the subcommittee is also in- terested in the relationship between, and coordinationamong, run- away and missing children services. It is important that the public (1) 2 perception of the need to assist runaways does not diminish be- cause these children are away from home but have not been ab- ducted. I would like to welcome all of our witnesses this morning. We ap- preciate your concern and your cooperation. In addition to the wit- nesses present today, the subcommittee invited Alfred S. Regnery, Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, to testify. Mr. Regnery has recently authored several articles expressing concern over the treatment of runaways, and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention has pub- lished a bulletin on