Youth on the Street and Youth Involved with Child Welfare: Maltreatment, Mental Health and Substance Use

Adolescents who are homeless face a variety of adverse outcomes and are at risk for concurrent mental health symptoms and substance use. Many come to the streets with a history of maltreatment, and have left home to escape dysfunctional environments, only to find themselves exposed to additional violence on the streets. Youth involved with child welfare face similar challenges and many are at risk of homelessness due to a lack of resources when transitioning out of the child welfare system. Existing research indicates that concurrent mental health symptoms and substance use, particularly among adolescents, is poorly understood and very challenging to address.