This brief from Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago examines the effects of housing instability in adolescence on the transition to adulthood. The brief, the first in a series, uses evidence to seek solutions to avoid missed opportunities to provide not only housing stability, but also stability in other areas of life including sleep, safety, and education. A lack of credible data about youth who experience homelessness has previously been a barrier, and this brief helps provide credible numbers when looking to address this problem in communities.

From the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, these three briefs address issues associated with prolonged youth homelessness, the role of mental health, as well as interventions that have been attempted to prevent and stop youth homelessness. Factors include history of childhood maltreatment, involvement in the justice system, and higher high school dropout rates, among others. Mental illness is also prevalent among the chronically homeless, including youth. Supportive housing interventions can provide safe and stable housing for these populations. Other interventions include programs to support education and employment, as well as those that reduce substance abuse. However, none of these interventions have been rigorously tested and merit further investigation.

A virtual roundtable was held on November 30, 2017 from 1:00-5:00 p.m. EST, co-presented by the Office of Family Assistance, the Office of Child Support Enforcement, and the Family and Youth Services Bureau. Via plenaries and breakout sessions, the roundtable  defined family violence, explained good cause, and highlighted examples of excellence across the nation.

The Opening Plenary Session was titled, "Family Violence and Accessing and Applying for Public Benefits and Work Supports: Challenges and Solutions," and was led by Dr. Janet Mickish, Lead Trainer and Manager of Staff Development, Colorado Department of Human Services and Krista Del Gallo, Public Policy Manager, Texas Council on Family Violence (TCFV).

The Plenary was followed by 4 breakout sessions to include:

• Breakout Session #1: Discussion Around Building Good Relationships with DV Coalitions and Programs
• Breakout Session #2: Promoting Disclosure and Safety for Victims Accessing Child Support
• Breakout Session #3: Establishing Good Cause
• Breakout Session #4: Family Violence with Native American Populations

The roundtable closed with a plenary titled, "State and Local TANF/Child Support Programs of Excellence," led by Meghan McCann, National Conference of State Legislatures; Amber Harchuk, Temporary Assistance to Domestic Violence Survivor’s (TA-DVS) Policy Analyst and DHS Domestic Violence Co-Located Advocates Program Coordinator; Belit Burke, Self-Sufficiency Program Administrator, Oregon Department of Human Services; and Traci Underwood, Program Coordinator, Economic Justice Project, Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence. 

This bulletin discusses the second National Survey of Children’s Exposure to Violence (NatSCEV II), which was conducted in 2011 as a followup to the original NatSCEV I survey. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sponsored both surveys. The Crimes against Children Research Center of the University of New Hampshire conducted the NatSCEV I survey between January and May 2008. NatSCEV I represented the first comprehensive national survey of children’s past-year and lifetime exposure to violence, crime, and abuse in the home, school, and community across children and youth from ages 1 month to 17 years. (For more information on NatSCEV I, see “History of the National Survey of Children’s Exposure to Violence”). (author introduction)

In recognition of October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Administration for Children & Families (ACF) program offices have released a series of Information Memoranda (IM) and other guidance discussing the importance of addressing domestic violence situations and providing resources and support for victims and their families.

Domestic violence is a leading cause of homelessness among families with children. This blog post from the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) describes how communities can use the 2017 Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Continuum of Care (CoC) competition to increase access to housing for domestic violence survivors. There are four key ways that CoC leaders, homelessness service and housing providers, and domestic violence providers can strengthen their collaboration and partnerships. They can make sure they include victim services advocates as voting members on the CoC board, provide cross-training on trauma-informed care and other topics relevant to domestic violence, analyze data on the prevalence of domestic violence among people experiencing homelessness, and integrate safety planning into assessment procedures.

Domestic violence is a leading cause of homelessness among families with children. This blog post from the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) describes how communities can use the 2017 Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Continuum of Care (CoC) competition to increase access to housing for domestic violence survivors. There are four key ways that CoC leaders, homelessness service and housing providers, and domestic violence providers can strengthen their collaboration and partnerships. They can make sure they include victim services advocates as voting members on the CoC board, provide cross-training on trauma-informed care and other topics relevant to domestic violence, analyze data on the prevalence of domestic violence among people experiencing homelessness, and integrate safety planning into assessment procedures.

This report from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University highlights three principles that, in light of recent advances in the science of brain development of children, can guide policy change that most supports healthy brain development. The three evidence-based principles include supporting responsive relationships for children and adults, strengthening core life skills, and reducing sources of stress in the lives of children and families. Policymakers can use these principles at all levels to improve outcomes for children, which improves adult outcomes and economic productivity.

Work-based learning combines paid training at a work site with classroom education that leads to an industry-recognized credential. This National Skills Coalition toolkit provides resources to state policymakers and advocates who want to implement paid work-based learning programs for out-of-school youth and disadvantaged adults. The toolkit explains key policies that support work-based learning, provides examples of current state and local work-based learning practices, and provides a legislative template for state work-based learning policies. States can also use the toolkit to help align work-based learning policies with other workforce development strategies.

While youth involved in Child Welfare or Runaway and Homeless Youth systems are at high risk of being trafficked, there has been no consensus screening tool available for providers to use to identify victims of human trafficking. This Urban Institute report describes the pretesting of a Human Trafficking Screening Tool (HTST) for 617 youth involved in the child welfare or runaway and homeless youth systems in New York, Texas, and Wisconsin. The HTST took about two minutes to administer, and the researchers found that it covered key dimensions of youth’s trafficking experiences, could be used in both child welfare and runaway and homeless youth settings, and correctly predicted trafficking victimization. The researchers conclude that the HTST is an effective, accessible tool for youth ages 12-24, but they recommend additional testing for youth under age 18 in child welfare settings.