Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 82

Introduced by Senator McGuire

July 13, 2015

Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 82—Relative to California Runaway and Homeless Youth Month.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SCR 82, as introduced, McGuire. California Runaway and Homeless Youth Month.

This measure would proclaim the month of November 2015 as California Runaway and Homeless Youth Month.

Fiscal committee: no.

WHEREAS, Runaway and homeless youth are young people
between 12 and 24 years of age who have the least access to
essential opportunities and supports; and

WHEREAS, The prevalence of runaways and homelessness
among youth is staggering, with studies suggesting that nationally
between 1.6 million and 2.8 million youth up to 24 years of age
experience homelessness every year, of which an
overrepresentation is, compared to the general youth population,
gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender; and

WHEREAS, Based on national surveys and California’s youth
population, an estimated 200,000 youth under 18 years of age, and
thousands more who are 18 to 24 years of age, are homeless for
one or more days each year; and

WHEREAS, Based on the latest McKinney-Vento report from
the California Department of Education, 297,617 youth in
California, including unaccompanied youth and youth with their
families who lack stable housing, from kindergarten through grade
12 experienced homelessness at least one day out of the year during
the 2013-2014 school year, a 10 percent increase over the previous
academic year, and an 18 percent increase over the previous two
years; and

WHEREAS, Runaway and homeless youth flee conflict, abuse,
neglect, or, increasingly, poverty in their homes. They have become
disconnected from educational systems and the workforce, and do
not have the skills and financial resources to live on their own.
The factors impacting youth homelessness are complex and differ
from those impacting other homeless populations; and

WHEREAS, Runaway and homeless youth who live on the
street are victims of physical abuse, sexual exploitation, and crime
in untold numbers. An estimated 300,000 youth are either victims,
or at risk of becoming victims, of the commercial sexual
exploitation of children each year, of which 60 percent of these
victimized children are homeless; and

WHEREAS, These youths are on the street because they feel
there are no other options open to them; and

WHEREAS, The percentage of unaccompanied homeless minors
who are unsheltered in California stands at 79.2 percent, which is
the second highest in the country; and

WHEREAS, The number of emergency shelter beds available
to homeless youth has dropped from 587 beds in 1990 to 555 beds
in 2010, as of the last comprehensive survey; and

WHEREAS, Youths who “age out” of the foster care system
are at an increased risk of homelessness, and represent an estimated
20 percent of the 20,000 youth who leave foster care and are
currently homeless; and

WHEREAS, Providing safe, stable, and permanent housing for
runaway and homeless youth is a family, community, state, and
national priority; and

WHEREAS, The future well-being of our state depends on the
value we place on our youth, and, in particular, on our actions to
provide the most vulnerable young people in the state with
opportunities to acquire the knowledge, skills, and abilities they
need to find and maintain stable housing and develop into healthy
and productive adults; and

WHEREAS, The number of effective programs providing
services and support to runaway and homeless youth in California
is a fraction of what is needed to fully address the needs of these
young people as only 20 out of California’s 58 counties have
programs for runaway and homeless youth; and

WHEREAS, The California Coalition for Youth has operated
the California Youth Crisis Line (1-800-843-5200), 24 hours a
day, seven days a week, for over 27 years as the state’s only
emergency response system for youth in crisis; and

WHEREAS, November is National Runaway and Homeless
Youth Awareness Month; and

WHEREAS, The California Coalition for Youth, along with
other community-based organizations, providers, and advocates,
is sponsoring California’s fifth annual Runaway and Homeless
Youth Month to increase awareness and action on behalf of youth
at risk or currently living on the street; and

WHEREAS, Awareness of the tragedy of youth homelessness
and its causes must be heightened to ensure greater support for
effective programs aimed at preventing homelessness and helping
youth remain off the streets; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
thereof concurring, That the Legislature recognizes the need for
individuals, schools, communities, businesses, local governments,
and the state to take action on behalf of runaway and homeless
youth in California; and be it further

Resolved, That the Legislature hereby designates the month of
November 2015 as California Runaway and Homeless Youth
Month; and be it further

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of
this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.