Stepping Stone

Abstract

Homeless youths are those who have no functioning parent, parental substitute, or institutional home. They have no support mechanisms to ensure the basic necessities for survival, including food, clothing, and shelter. These youths are known either as “runaways,” in the event that they take the final initiative to leave home, or “throwaways,” “forceaways,” or “pushouts,” when the family and social dynamics conspire actively to thrust them out. Although there are numerous reasons why youths leave home, one of the most clearly defined is the breakdown of family ties, at the core of which is deterioration of communication between the youth and the adults in his or her life. In some instances, a specific loss through relocation or death of a responsible other plays a leading role. Sometimes school failure is a serious precipitant.