About Youth Shelters
In North America, runaway children or youth are widely regarded as a chronic and serious social problem. It is estimated that
each year there are between 1.3 and 1.5 million runaway and homeless youth in the United States. Current studies suggest that
the primary cause of youth homelessness is family dysfunction in the form of parental neglect, physical or sexual abuse, family
substance abuse, and family violence.
The Family and Youth Services Bureau of the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
funds three grant programs to help runaway and homeless youth:
The Basic Center Program funds emergency shelters where youth can stay for up to 15 days.
Shelters aim to keep youth safe by providing them with immediate needs, such as food, clothing,
shelter, and medical care. Shelters may also provide individual, group, and family counseling, and
if desired, help reunite youth with their families.
The Transitional Living Program funds programs that help homeless youth develop
skills that allow them to become independent and may prevent them from depending on social
services in the future. Shelter, services, and counseling are provided for up to 18 months
for youth ages 16 to 21 who are unable to return to their homes.
The Street Outreach Program funds local youth service providers that reach out to homeless youth
living on the streets and in unstable housing. The providers offer emergency shelter and other services
to young people who have been, or who are at risk of being, sexually abused or exploited,
with the goal of helping them leave the streets.
Youth who stay at the shelter are expected to develop and
follow a personal service plan with concrete goals concerning housing,
schooling and employment. They are also encouraged to develop strategies to
deal with personal issues ranging from abuse to various addictions.
Resources
The Salvation Army - founded more than 130 years ago by William Booth is a religious and social service organization, a branch of the Christian Church dedicated to the battle against sin and despair. Its social services programs assist children, the elderly, families, and those battling addiction.
Gospel Rescue Missions offer to help the homeless and other needy people, all services are provided to anyone regardless of race, age, religion, color, creed, national origin, disability, marital status, or veteran status.
Feeding America is the nation's leading domestic hunger relief charity, its network provides food assistance to more than 25 million low income people facing hunger in the United States, including more than 9 million children and nearly 3 million seniors.
SnagAJob.com is the nation's largest job site for part-time and full-time hourly employment, it has more than 100,000 active job listings from top employers across the country.
Intelius.com helps millions of people to find and reconnect with family, friends, colleagues, and loved ones. Intelius provides the best people search services.
Social Assistance Programs
The Social Security Disability Insurance (SSD) and
Social Security Supplemental Income (SSI) programs are the largest of several Federal programs that provide assistance to people with disabilities. While these two programs are different in many ways, both are administered by the
Social Security Administration and only individuals who have a disability and meet medical criteria may qualify for benefits under either program.
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSD) pays benefits to you and certain members of your family if you are "insured," meaning that you worked long enough and paid Social Security taxes. Social Security Supplemental Income (SSI) pays benefits based on financial need.
|
