Indicator: Youth Living in Homeless or Emergency Shelters

Outcome (s): Communities capable of meeting the needs of children and families in all of their diversity.

Why This is Important

Housing is a basic need for all families and their children. Being homeless is often a serious consequence of a family's basic social, economic and or mental health needs not being met. Homelessness among youth in the United States is disturbingly common, with an estimated annual prevalence of at least 5% for those ages 12 to 17.

Where We Stand

According to the Maine State Housing Authority, in July of 2000, 2001 and 2002 over 400 of Maine's young people aged birth through 17 stayed in a homeless or emergency shelter either with or without other family members. This number dropped to 315 in July 2003. In July of 2004, this number increased to 372 but dropped again to 318 in July of 2005. Measures in January of 2006 registered a drop to 117 children, rebounding in January 2007 to 149 children. It is important to recognize that only a portion of the total homeless children in Maine reside in shelters. In 2007, the total estimated number of homeless children stood at 208 (149 residing in shelters).

According to the 2005 data, homeless youth make up 36% of the total shelter population. The average age of homeless youth is 10 years old. Of Maine's homeless youth, 26.7% were not accompanied by an adult, and 26.6% are minorities. In additon, 61.5% report that they do attend school.

Data Source and Context

The data source for this indicator is the Maine State Housing Authority. July numbers were compiled from a biannual shelter occupancy report submitted by shelters for this month. Most recent data were based on Maine State Housing Authority Homelessness Point In Time Survey 2007.

The total number of homeless youth may include children whose primary residence is out of state. It is important to note that not all of the state’s shelters admit children.