Impact of Homeless on Public Libraries

What percentage of youths entering the THP-Plus and THP-FC enter from homelessness? THP+FC – not available due to County’s legal position which does not allow providers to enter data regarding youths. THP-Plus - Out of 15 youths who entered THP-Plus program in the County in 2017-18, 11 had missing data. Among the responding youths, 1 entered directly from homelessness. Four indicated that they experienced homelessness between foster care and THP-Plus. For Questions 2 through 4, among 48 youths who exited THP-Plus program in 2017-18, 22 had missing data.

Where Are They Coming From and Where Are They Going? A significant number of youth return home after exiting camps. In this section, some of the situations occurring after the youth’s return home are highlighted. Much of the information is based on our interviews with the Centinela Field POs and, as a result, we do not have actual data to support the number of instances described in this section. While the number of incidences for the described types of events may differ when the data are tracked, the Committee members believe that the types of events occur with sufficient regularity. A summary of our discussions is included in this section as a starting point for collecting data. Service distinction also exists based on the youth’s age so that a youth over the age of 18 accessed services differently than the younger youth. DCFS History. Members of this Committee requested two sets of data from Probation: (i) the number of youth who enter directly from DCFS placement to Probation camps and (ii) the number of youth who exit to DCFS placement from Probation camp. Probation was unable to put together the first set of data; instead, Probation provided the total number of youth who had any history with DCFS prior to entering juvenile camps during 2018.

Available Housing Programs for Probation Youth Over 18 Years of Age A recent article estimates that 3,306 homeless youth and young adults experience homelessness in the County on any given night.45 Among them, 31% report current or previous involvement in the child welfare system and 62% report previous or current involvement in the juvenile or criminal justice systems.46 The Committee members contacted LAHSA for additional information and the following table provides a summary of system experienced persons accessing LAHSA’s Youth Coordinated Entry System (Youth CES) during calendar year 2018.

Educational status at exit. Among the responders, 24 had earned high school diploma, GED or the equivalent or higher.

Employment status at exit. Among the 48 youths who exited THP-Plus program in 2017-18, 20 had missing data. Among the responders, 17 were employed at exit. Among the employed, 6 were full-time employees (35 hrs/wk or more) at exit.

Income level at exit. Monthly average of $1,008.50 or $12,102 annually (which includes stipends provided under the THP-Plus program).