Thursday, Jan 27 2011 9:48AM
California needs more funding to provide housing for the almost 200,000 homeless youths in the state.
Almost two-thirds of California counties do not have services aimed at assisting homeless youth, particularly inland and rural parts of the state, reported the San Francisco Chronicle.
A survey by the California Homeless Youth Project found there are only 1,000 beds available in shelters for California's estimated 200,000 homeless young people, according to the newspaper. Amy Lemley, the policy director for the John Burton Foundation for Children, told the paper that the lack of outreach and transitional housing services outside of major metro areas has resulted in spikes of youth homelessness in rural communities.
Some California officials believe the problem is so severe that new legislation is needed to correct it. State senators Carol Liu and Alan Lowenthal have introduced two bills aimed at assisting homeless youth and investing in outreach services and housing counseling.
"Our state has no coordinated program to address their needs, leaving them invisible and underserved," Liu said.
The recession has been particularly difficult for young workers, who have seen their opportunities dwindle. The U.S. Department of Labor reported that unemployment among 16 to 19 year olds reached 23.5 percent in December, significantly higher than the 9.1 percent rate seen nationwide that month.