THE PREVALENCE OF HOMELESSNESS AMONG ADOLESCENTS IN THE UNITED-STATES

Objectives. Homeless adolescents represent one of the nation's most vu lnerable populations. This study reports the 12-month prevalence of ho meless episodes among US adolescents. Methods. Personal, audiotaped in terviews were conducted in 1992 and 1993 with a representative househo ld sample of 6496 adolescents aged 12 to 17 as part of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Preve ntion. Respondents reported whether they had spent the night in any of a variety of locations other than home during the previous 12 months. Results. Altogether, 7.6% of the youths questioned reported that they had spent at least 1 night in a youth or adult shelter (3.3%, a publi c place (2.2%), an abandoned building (1.0%), outside (2.2%), undergro und (0.4%), or with a stranger (1.1%). Boys were much more likely than girls to report having experienced a homeless episode. Conclusions. T his study suggests that homelessness among adolescents is not simply a n urban problem and that prevention programs targeting homeless youths should be implemented nationwide. Additional research is needed to as sess the frequency and duration of homeless experiences. Future studie s of homelessness in the general population should include questions p ertinent to adolescents,