Members with experience under the juvenile justice system's jurisdiction.

BY THE U.S. GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE
Report To The Chairman, Subcommittee
On Human Resources

Committee On Education And Labor

House Of Representatives

Federally Supported Centers

Provide Needed Services

For Runaways And Homeless Youths

This report summarizes the results of our review of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Program authorized under title III of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, as amended. As you requested, we examined the services offered by centers for runaways and homeless youths, the characteristics of the youths served, the environment of the centers, and perceptions of service and operations from youths, parents, staff, and community service people. As requested, we testified on our findings for your Subcommittee on May 5, 1982.

As

We sought comments on the report from the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services. The response concurs with our
observations and is included in the report as appendix IV.
we discussed with your office, we are sending copies of this
report to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the
Senate Committee on the Judiciary, the House Select Committee
on Children, Youth and Families, and the Senate Committee on
Labor and Human Resources.

Sincerely,

Cena Chili

Eleanor Chelimsky
Director

GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE

REPORT TO THE CHAIRMAN

SUBCOMMITTEE ON HUMAN RESOURCES
COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND LABOR
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

FEDERALLY SUPPORTED CENTERS
PROVIDE NEEDED SERVICES FOR
RUNAWAYS AND HOMELESS YOUTHS

Tear Sheet

DIGEST

The Runaway and Homeless Youth Act authorizes
funds under the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention Act of 1974 for community-based
centers that serve the immediate shelter needs
of youths who have run away from home or are
homeless because they have permanently left home
or have been definitively expelled from home by
their families. Centers are to provide counsel-
ing and aftercare to youths and their families
as well as to arrange appropriate living situa-
tions for the youths following the shelter period.
Estimates of the number of runaways and homeless
youths nationwide range from 733,000 to 1,300,000.
The number of these youths has increased in recent
years, and the likelihood that they will be victim-
ized or become delinquent is a societal concern.

At the request of the Chairman of the Subcommit-
tee on Human Resources of the House Committee on
Education and Labor, GAO examined some of the
local operations and delivery of services under
the National Runaway and Homeless Youth Program
in order to answer the following questions:

--Who participates in the Program?

--What services does it offer?

--What is the environment of the centers?

--What do the youths and their families, the staff
at the centers, and other service personnel in
the communities think about the centers' serv-
ices and operations?

To answer these questions, GAO visited 17 runaway
and homeless youth centers in 13 states. GAO
observed their program operations and collected
statistical information from the administrators.
GAO interviewed 353 persons who were associated
with the centers, including youths who had resided
or were then residing there, parents of former

GAO/IPE-83-7 SEPTEMBER 26, 1983

residents, administrative and counseling staff members, and community service personnel--that is, people in the social service agencies, the juvenile justice system, the police departments, and the schools.

WHO WERE THE YOUTHS
THE CENTERS SERVED?

The majority of the youths who were given shelter at the 17 centers had come from the immediate geographic area. They had been referred to a center by social service agencies, juvenile justice authorities, police, or school personnel and had been brought there by them or by parents or other relatives. They had not resided at that center before. (pp. 6-8)

Most of the centers did not admit psychotic, violent, and drug-addicted youths. At the majority of the centers, staff members' estimates of the percentage of their clients who had been physically abused were in the range of 20 to 40 percent. Their estimates of sexual abuse were in the range of 8 percent or less, and their estimates of those who had been victims of parental neglect were in the range of 14 to 35 percent. (pp. 6-7)

WHAT WERE THE SERVICES
THE CENTERS OFFERED?

Center staff and community service personnel believed that the centers met the youths' most pressing needs by providing them with shelter and counseling and by helping their families get involved in solving their problems. All the centers engaged in a variety of outreach activities, including advertising and making speeches and school contacts, but only three conducted outreach activities on the streets where the runaways and homeless youths congregated. (pp. 9-11)

Centers are intended to be short-term residential facilities. Program regulations establish the maximum number of days of temporary shelter at Runaways stayed an average of 15 days or less at all centers; homeless youths stayed an average of 15 days or less at all but 4 centers. These 4 reported an average length of stay for homeless youths ranging from 25 to 32 days. centers that reported long periods of residence for homeless youths especially noted the insuf