SCR 160, as introduced, McGuire. California Runaway and Homeless Youth Month.
This measure would designate the month of November 2016 as California Runaway and Homeless Youth Month and would recognize the need for individuals, schools, communities, businesses, local governments, and the state to take action on behalf of runaway and homeless youth in California.
Fiscal committee: no.
P1 1WHEREAS, Runaway and homeless youth are young people
212 to 24 years of age, inclusive, who have the least access to
3essential opportunities and supports; and
4WHEREAS, The prevalence of runaways and homelessness
5among youth is staggering, with studies suggesting that nationally
6between 1.6 and 2.8 million youth up to 24 years of age experience
7homelessness every year, of which an overrepresentation, compared
8to the general youth population, are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or
9transgender; and
10WHEREAS, Based on national surveys and California’s youth
11population, an estimated 200,000 youth under 18 years of age, and
12thousands more who are 18 to 24 years of age, are homeless for
13one or more days each year; and
P2 1WHEREAS, Based on the latest McKinney-Vento report from
2the State Department of Education, 297,617 youth, including
3unaccompanied youth and youth with their families who lack stable
4housing, in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, experienced
5homelessness at least one day out of the year during the 2013-14
6school year, which is a 10 percent increase over the previous
7academic year and an 18 percent increase over the 2011-12
8academic year; and
9WHEREAS, Runaway and homeless youth flee conflict, abuse,
10neglect, and, increasingly, poverty in their homes. They have
11become disconnected from educational systems and the workforce
12and do not have the skills or financial resources to live on their
13own. The factors impacting youth homelessness are complex and
14differ from those impacting other homeless populations; and
15WHEREAS, Runaway and homeless youth who live on the
16street are victims of physical abuse, sexual exploitation, human
17trafficking, and crime in untold numbers. Each year an estimated
18300,000 youth are either victims, or at risk of becoming victims,
19of commercial sexual exploitation. Of these victimized children,
20approximately 60 percent are homeless; and
21WHEREAS, These youths are on the street because they feel
22there are no other options open to them; and
23WHEREAS, Of the unaccompanied homeless minors in
24California, 76.3 percent are unsheltered, which is the second
25highest percentage in the country. Twenty-eight percent of
26homeless youth in the country are located in California, and
27California has the largest number of homeless youth in any state;
28and
29WHEREAS, The number of emergency shelter beds available
30to homeless youth has dropped from 587 beds in 1990 to, as of the
31last comprehensive survey in 2010, 555 beds; and
32WHEREAS, Youths who “age out” of the foster care system
33are at an increased risk of homelessness and represent an estimated
3420 percent of the 20,000 youth who leave foster care and are
35currently homeless; and
36WHEREAS, Providing safe, stable, and permanent housing for
37runaway and homeless youth is a family, community, state, and
38national priority, and homeless youth are considered a unique
39population in the homeless community by the United States
40Interagency Council on Homelessness; and
P3 1WHEREAS, The future well-being of our state depends on the
2value we place on our youth, and, in particular, on our actions to
3provide the most vulnerable young people in the state with
4opportunities to acquire the knowledge, skills, and abilities they
5need to find and maintain stable housing and develop into healthy
6and productive adults; and
7WHEREAS, The number of effective programs providing
8services and support to runaway and homeless youth in California
9is a fraction of what is needed to fully address the needs of these
10young people, as only 20 of California’s 58 counties have programs
11for runaway and homeless youth; and
12WHEREAS, The California Coalition for Youth has operated
13the California Youth Crisis Line (1-800-843-5200), 24 hours a
14day, seven days a week for over 27 years as the state’s only
15emergency response system for youth in crisis and began offering
16chat-to-text counseling services in 2016; and
17WHEREAS, November is National Runaway and Homeless
18Youth Awareness Month; and
19WHEREAS, The California Coalition for Youth, along with
20other community-based organizations, providers, and advocates,
21is sponsoring the sixth annual California Runaway and Homeless
22Youth Month to increase awareness and action on behalf of youth
23who are at risk or currently living on the street; and
24WHEREAS, Awareness of the tragedy of youth homelessness
25and its causes must be heightened to ensure greater support for
26effective programs aimed at preventing homelessness and helping
27youth remain off the streets; now, therefore, be it
28Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
29thereof concurring, That the Legislature recognizes the need for
30individuals, schools, communities, businesses, local governments,
31and the state to take action on behalf of runaway and homeless
32youth in California; and be it further
33Resolved, That the Legislature hereby designates the month of
34November 2016 as California Runaway and Homeless Youth
35Month; and be it further
36Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of
37this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
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