A shocking percentage of American youth run away from home by age 18, according to a new snapshot of runaways to be published by the Urban Institute, and many do so before turning 14. Roughly half of all youth who leave home without parental permission or knowledge do so more than once, with girls more likely to be repeat runaways.

Many runaways become homeless because family reunification is not an option. Other young people end up on the street or in a shelter because they are abandoned by their parents, are forced to leave home, age out of foster care, or are released from the juvenile justice system.

Much progress has been made in recent decades to address the needs of runaways and homeless youth. What is left to be done at the federal, state, and local levels? How are service providers coping with the varied life stories of the 1.5-2 million young people who each year are homeless and unaccompanied by an adult for at least one night?

Panelists

Patrick Boyle (moderator), editor, Youth Today

Amy Dworsky, senior researcher, Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago

Hedda McLendon, social services division deputy director, Latin American Youth Center (Washington, D.C.)

Michael Pergamit, senior research associate, Center on Labor, Human Services, and Population, Urban Institute

Bryan Samuels, commissioner, Administration on Children, Youth, and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services