Statistical data and questions

Statistics of Homeless Teens In Dallas Texas Texas has been documented as one of the s with the fastest growing teen homeless population of all the states. They account for26 percent of the people without decent accommodation today. In the 2012 Point in Time Homeless Count and Census in Dallas, 22% of the total homeless population comprised children of the ages 17 and younger unaccompanied by a parent or guardian. This was a rise from 2011’s 2%.
These homeless teens face a lot of challenges every day. Dallas is a relatively safe state and hence, not much abuse is meted on the homeless teens; but not to mean there is none. Most runaway from their homes due to different forms of abuse, however, the abuse rate is at only 4% of their total population. Churches that take them in are reported to abuse them ‘ spiritualy’ Promise House, an NGO that tries to resettle them writes on its website,
“ These are children. And it is time for us to see these teens as our children — lost and alone, terrified and lonely. They have been abandoned by their parents, neighborhoods, cities, by our country. They are abused, sold into prostitution, preyed upon, ignored, assaulted, even murdered. And they are getting younger and are staying on the street longer.”
The highest percentage of the homeless teens is run away cases at 67% of the total homeless teen population. Those who run do it mainly because of abuse either at home or at school. There are more females than males at 51% with African Americans leading at 66% followed by Hispanics, Caucasians then other in that order.
There are programs ran by the state in partnership with NGOs like Family Connections and Promise House among others. They are offering comprehensive services such as educational support groups, drug-free alternative activities, and life enrichment services. The state has a plan to eliminate homelessness in general by 2014 called the Dallas Ten-Year Plan: An Action Plan to Identify Goals, Strategies and Methodology to Impact and End Chronic Homelessness.
The federal estimates are that by the year 2015, the Dallas ten year plan will have removed 90% of the teens from the streets
References
Metro Dallas Homes Alliance, 2012 Point-In-Time Homeless Count and Census; Dallas County,
The Real Estate County Foundation, Dallas Texas, 2012.