Students fleeing or being forced from their homes is a timeless problem without a consistent, timely solution.  

Most home loss incidents among minors can be short-lived; more than 90% resolved in 30 days. But risks of lasting trauma and long-term homelessness rise dramatically whenever safe places within individual communities are not immediately accessible.

12% of minors experiencing home loss wind up spending nights in the streets.

75% of minors on the streets begin a reliance on drugs to help cope with fear and trauma.

28% of minors on the streets resort to sexual barter as a means of seeking food or shelter.

Situational Profiles of Unaccompanied Homeless Minors:

75% of fleeing minors are female;

20% to 40% identify among the LGBTQ population;

45% endured physical abuse at home;

17% had been sexually abused or sexually coerced at home;

40% to 50% leave homes because of parental addictions;

50% or more had been told to leave or had been told their parents didn’t care if they left.

Incident Patterns:

Incidents of students seeking help or accepting help from school workers to find a place for the nights ahead are sporadic and geographically dispersed over the course of any year.  The map below shows an estimate of the number of incidents that might be expected among well-attending students across the southwest quadrant of the Metro Area.  The green balloons represent the locations of emergency shelters licensed to care for unaccompanied minors. Here, you can see the gap in shelter coverage in the suburban areas.