NCJ Number
87917
Date Published
1982
Length
62 pages
Annotation
This report describes the programs funded and the clients served under the Runaway Youth Act (RYA) as well as research and technical assistance activities performed to fulfill the mandate or spirit of the RYA.
Abstract
The National Runaway Youth Program, administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children, Youth and Families, Youth Development Bureau (YDB), is authorized by the RYA. The act provides for grants to public and private nonprofit agencies or networks of such agencies for the development or strengthening of community-based programs that address the immediate needs of runaway and otherwise homeless youth and their families outside the juvenile justice system. During fiscal 1980, 158 runaway youth centers received continuation grants totaling $10,240,000. These centers provide services in 48 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam. All offer counseling and shelter for runaway and otherwise homeless youth and their families 24 hours a day. During fiscal 1980, these centers served 133,000 youth on a one-time, drop-in basis; additionally, about 44,000 youth were sheltered or received ongoing counseling. Through the YDB-funded National Runaway Switchboard, about 200,000 youth received crisis intervention counseling and referral to the runaway centers or to other community-based agencies. The centers serve as intake and problem-identification agencies for their local social services systems. In addition to funding centers, the YDB conducts research and development activities designed to identify emerging youth issues and potential strategies for dealing with these concerns. Through interagency agreements, YDB provided second-year funding to 17 demonstration projects, allowing these centers to develop employment training and career development services and also funded one grantee in each of five regions to participate in a study that collected data on the family-related problems and service needs of runaway and homeless youth. The appendix contains the names and addresses of centers funded under the RYA in fiscal 1980. (Author summary modified)