I'm relieved to see signs that people are beginning to understand that affordable housing is not the pat answer to answering the homeless problem in this country. But they now seem to be aiming at increasing education. This is even further off, especially regarding homeless youth. Homeless youth are seeking safety, food, shelter, bathroom facilities, medical care and acceptance. "Educational attainment" is way down on their list of needs.
Imagine what it takes for a 17 year old kid to be homeless. It means that not one single person in her family will take her in. Or, it means that he does not trust one single person among his family to take him in because they are abusing him. Young people are homeless for a myriad of reasons, none of them good:
- Sexual abuse by a family member
- Physical abuse by a family member
- Mental abuse by a family member
- Drug use by the parent or parents
- His mother has a new boyfriend who doesn't want to raise someone else's kid
- Her father has a new family and doesn't want her around
- The teen's sexual orientation is not tolerated by the family so they kicked him out
- The teen has turned 18 and her mother can no longer draw benefits for her so she kicked her out
- Pregnancy, where the teen's parent refuses to feed another mouth and throw the girl out
- Aging out of foster care
These are just a few of the reasons a young person will be homeless. If anyone thinks that raising their educational level will fix this they are misguided. These young people have basically been thrown away or abandoned by their parents or guardians. Any of the issues listed above will cause serious psychological damage to the young person and that damage will prevent them from participating effectively in an educational program. You have to address the physical, emotional and mental health of these teens first before sending them to school. Their homelessness is not caused by "social problems". They are caused by personal problems and require personal fixes. We need to maintain the basic affordable housing programs, because getting people from shelters into housing requires a housing program. But we have to address these personal issues at the same time. Simply plunking a homeless person into affordable housing or signing them up for school does not address the serious personal dysfunction homeless individuals struggle with.