Abstract
The paper presents a follow-up evaluation of Israel’s first two shelters for homeless youth. The main research questions were: (a) Did the youngsters achieve the shelters’ main goal of reaching a normative and suitable post-shelter residence? (b) How do the youngsters evaluate their stay at the shelter and its impact on them? (c) Is there a relationship between youngsters’ post-shelter residence and their evaluation of the shelter stay? Data on 345 youngsters were collected through follow-up telephone interviews with the youngsters, their parents, and community social workers. The findings indicate that the majority of these youngsters left the shelter to living arrangements that were normative but not necessarily fitting with their wishes and needs. Most of the youngsters were satisfied with the shelter, but no relationship was found between general satisfaction and achievement of the shelters’ declared goal. The discussion focuses on the significance of the findings with regard to the declared and operative goals of shelters.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bannister, J., Dell, M., Donnison, D., Fitzpatrick, S., & Taylor, R. (1993).Homeless young people in Scotland: The role of social work services. Glasgow, Scotland: HMSO.
Bradley, J. (1997).Runaway youth: Stress, social support and adjustment. NY: Garland.
Bucy, J., & Nichols, N. (1991). Homeless youth: Statement of problem and suggested policies.Journal of Health and Social Policy, 2(4), 65–71.
De Rosa, C. J., Montgomery, S. B., Kipke, M. D., Iverson, E., Ma, J. L., & Unger, J. B. (1999). Service utilization among homeless and runaway youth in Los Angeles, California: Rates and reasons.Journal of Adolescence Health, 24, 190–200.
Dutton, M. A. (1992).Empowering and healing the battered woman: A model for Assessment and intervention. NY: Springer.
Fitzgerald, M. (1993). Residential care for homeless youth: Hopeful signs from an extensive service.Journal of Child and Youth Care, 8, 61–72.
Freeman, E. M. (1993). Developing alternative family structures for runaway, drug addicted adolescents. In E. M. Freeman (ed.),Substance abuse treatment: A family system perspective (pp. 48–70). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Godley, S. H., Fiedler, E. M., & Funk, R. R. (1998). Consumer satisfaction of parents and their children with child/adolescent mental health services.Evaluation and Program Planing, 21, 31–45.
Greene, J. M., Ringwalt, C. L., & Iachan, R. (1997). Shelters for runaway and homeless youth: Capacity and occupancy.Child Welfare, 76, 549–561.
Gullotta, T. P. (1978). Runaway: Reality or myth?Adolescence, 13, 543–549.
Harris, G. & Poertner, J. (1999). Measurement of client satisfaction: The-state-of-the art. CFRC Publication, http//cfrcwww.social.uiuc.edu/publicationsl/clientsati.html.
Janus, M. D., Archambault, F. X., Brown, S. W., & Welsh, L. D. (1995). Physical abuse in Canadian runaway adolescents.Child Abuse and Neglect, 19(4), 433–447.
Cohavi-Samselik, A. (1999).Girls that run away from home. Unpublished master’s thesis. Israel: Tel Aviv University (Hebrew).
Kufeldt, K. (1991). Social policy and runaway.Journal of Health and Social Policy, 2, 37–49.
Kufeldt, K., & Nimmo, M. (1987). Youth on the street: Abuse and neglect in the Eighties.Child Abuse and Neglect, 11, 531–543.
Kurtz, P. D., Jarvis, V. S., & Kurtz, L. G. (1991). Problems of homeless youths: Empirical findings and human services issues.Social work, 36, 309–314.
Kurtz, P. D., Lindsey, E. W., Jarvis, S., & Neckerud, L. (2000). How runaway and homeless youth navigate troubled waters: The role of formal and informal helpers.Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 17(5), 390.
Low, N., & Crashaw, B. (1985). Homeless youth: Patterns of beliefs.Australian Journal of Social Issues, 20, 23–34.
McCarthy, B., & Hagan, J. (1992). Surviving on the street: The experience of homeless youth.Journal of Adolescent Research, 7(4), 412–430.
Miller, A. T., Eggertson-Tacon, C., & Quigg, B. (1990). Patterns of runaway behavior within a larger system context: The road to empowerment.Adolescence, 25, 271–289.
Newman, C. (1989).Young runaways: Findings from Britain’s first safe house. London: The Children’s Society.
Okun, L. (1988). Termination and resumption of cohabition in woman battering relationships: A statistical study. In G. T. Hotaling, O. Finkelhor, J. T. Kirpatrik & M. A. Straus (Eds.),Coping with family violence: Research and policy perspectives (pp. 107–119). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
Peled, E., & Spiro, S. (1998). Goal-focused evaluation: Lessons from a study of a shelter for homeless youth.Evaluation, 4(4), 455–468.
Peled, E., Spiro, S., & Dekel, R. (2002). Where do they go from here? Destinations of youth existing a shelter.Children and Youth Service Review, 24(4), 269–285.
Peled, E., Spiro, S., & Frumer, D., (1995).Evaluation report on Makon Aher: The first year. Tel Aviv: The Joint Forum on Youth Issues, Elem and the Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel Aviv University (Hebrew).
Pollio, D. E., Thompson, S. J., & North, C. S. (2000). Agency-based tracking of difficult-to-follow populations: Runaway and homeless youth program in St. Louis, Missouri.Community Mental Health Journal, 36(3), 247–258.
Price, A. V. (1989). Characteristics and needs of Boston street youth: One agency’s response.Children and Youth Services Review, 11, 75–90.
Ray, J., & Roloff, M. K. (1993). Church suppers, pony-tails and mentors: Developing a program for street kids.Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 10(6), 497–508.
Reid, P., & Klee, H. (1999). Young homeless people and service provision.Health and Social Care in the Community, 7(1), 17–24.
Rees, G. (1993).Hidden truths: Young people’s experience of running away. London: The Children Society.
Robertson, M. J. (1992). Homeless and runaway youth. In M. J. Robertson & Greenblatt (Eds.),Homelessness: A national perspective (pp. 287–297). New York: Plenum.
Simon, R. L., & Whitbeck, L. B. (1991). Running away during adolescence as a precursor to adult homelessness.Journal of Social Service Review, 65(2), 224–247.
Staller, J. (2003). Constructing the runaway youth problem: Boy adventures to girl prostitute, 1960–1978.Journal of Communication, 53, 330–346.
Stallard, P. (1996). The role and use of consumer satisfaction surveys in mental health services.Journal of Mental Health, 5(4), 333–348.
Teare, J. F., Furst, D., Peterson, R. W., & Authier, K. (1992). Family reunification following shelter placement: Child, family and program correlates.American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 61(1), 142–146.
Teare, J. F., Authier, K., & Peterson, R. (1994). Differential patterns of post-shelter placement as a function of problem type and severity.Journal of Child and Family Studies, 3(1), 7–22.
Teare, J. F., Peterson, R. W., Furst, D., Authier, K., Baker, G., & Daly, D. L. (1994). Treatment implementation in a short-term emergency shelter program.Child Welfare, 73, 271–281.
Thompson, S. J., Pollio, D. E., & Bitner, L. (2000). Outcomes for adolescents using runaway and homeless youth services.Journal of Human Behavior and the Social Environment, 3(1), 79–97.
Thompson, S. J., Safyer, A. W., & Pollio, D. E. (2001). Differences and predictors of family reunification among subgroups of runaway youth using shelter services.Social Work Research, 25(3), 163–172.
Wiggans, A. (1989). Youth work and homelessness in England.Children and Youth Services Review, 11, 5–29.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Peled, E., Spiro, S. & Dekel, R. My home is not my castle: Follow-up of residents of shelters for homeless youth. Child Adolesc Soc Work J 22, 257–279 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02679472
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02679472