27% victims of domestic violence
30% foster care history
35% justice system issues
37% mental health challenges
0
NIGHTS OF HOUSING PROVIDED
0
PERCENT OF YOUTH ENGAGED IN RESILIENCE BUILDING ACTIVITIES
0
YOUTH SERVED
Source: CHNJ FY22 Impact Report
CHNJ is committed to being a learning organization to continually deepen our understanding of our young people with the primary goal to improve our care and services.
As seen in the graphic below, the young people who come to us are often fleeing dangerous and life-threatening situations. Many of them have endured painful experiences that can cause trauma and affect their development and mental health. We are making strides to measure levels of trauma and determine how our staff, programs, and services are assisting our young people in stabilizing their crisis and moving forward in a positive life progression.
We have also found it is essential to understand their unique qualities, talents, skills, and resilience levels. We believe starting with their unique and individual strengths, provides them with the leverage to heal and advance in their life’s goals.
Profile – FY21
National Profile of Youth Facing Homelessness
There are, however, a number of circumstances that significantly increase the risk of a young person becoming homeless. The majority of the young people we have served have experienced more than one factor. Following are some of the more significant factors.
According to the Voices of Youth Count Study:
- Youth lacking a high school diploma or GED had a 346% higher risk of homelessness than those who completed high school.
- Youth in households making less than $24,000 a year had a 162% higher risk of homelessness.
- Unmarried parenting youth had a 200% higher risk of homelessness.
- LGBTQ youth had a 120% higher risk of homelessness than their straight peers.
- Black or African American youth had an 83% higher risk of homelessness.
- Hispanic, non-White youth had a 33% higher risk of homelessness.
Adverse Childhood Experiences
Runaway and homeless youth suffer disproportionately from painful legacies of trauma stemming from family disruption and abandonment, sexual and physical abuse, human trafficking, involvement in the foster care system, family involvement with the criminal justice systems and life on the street.
To better understand each young person’s past a number of assessment tools are utilized to help them with the issues they face.
One such tool is the Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) Questionnaire. This tool asks a series of 10 questions with one point given for each yes answer. The points are added up giving an ACE score. The ACE score is then used to inform our service approach and plan.
Because of the relatively high ACE score of our clients, it is critical that all staff and all interventions incorporate trauma-informed care to ensure that our programs are effective in reaching our young people.
Meet Our Young People
