New England Journal of Public Policy

Article Title

Subgroups of the Homeless: Street Kids

Authors

Bruce Clary, University of Southern Maine
James Harrod, Bureau of Children with Special Needs, Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, State of Maine
Rachel Olney, Bureau of Children with Special Needs, Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, State of Maine

Abstract

Street kids are a feature of many cities, but only recently have they been included among the homeless. They were defined as runaways, throwaways, or youth in crisis. They had a place to live, even if it was a foster or group home or an institutional setting. However, many are without shelter at one time or another and face the same problems as the chronic homeless: the need for food and shelter, avoidance of victimization, and help for personal problems. In 1988, the National Institute of Mental Health funded three national demonstration projects on adolescent homelessness. We report findings from one of those, in Portland, Maine. The focus was individual, organizational, and systemic dimensions of the problem and how public policy can be responsive to the needs of this subgroup of the homeless.

Recommended Citation

Clary, Bruce; Harrod, James; and Olney, Rachel (1992) "Subgroups of the Homeless: Street Kids," New England Journal of Public Policy: Vol. 8: Iss. 1, Article 32.
Available at: https://scholarworks.umb.edu/nejpp/vol8/iss1/32