By the time Dilinger (a pseudonym) experienced homelessness, he had already endured significant trauma.
His grandparents, who had raised him due to his parents’ drug and mental health issues, died when he was 15. At 17, Dilinger moved in with his father, who was later arrested on drug charges and then murdered. At 19, he moved in with his mother for the first time since he was a toddler, but that arrangement didn’t last. She kicked Dilinger out of her house because she thought his relationship with a trans woman was “disgusting.”
“As of now, she’s not helping me, she’s not supportive, she completely cut me off and she dipped out on me. So, it’s nothing really I can do,” Dilinger, who lives in Cook County, said in an interview for our recent Voices of Youth Count study.
Close to 70,000 people in Chicago are experiencing homelessness, according to the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, a number that exceeds Soldier Field’s seating capacity by nearly 10,000. Some are on the street or in a shelter, but most are living doubled-up with relatives or friends.
The situation is particularly devastating for one group: young Black men.
At Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, our work has focused on homelessness in youth, ages 13 to 25. Our multifaceted Voices of Youth Count study looked at the prevalence of youth experiencing homelessness, why they are without shelter and what helps or hinders their survival. We did a deep dive into five diverse counties: Cook County; Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania; San Diego County, California; Travis County, Texas; and Walla Walla County, Washington.
In Cook County, a key finding was that Black boys and young men are disproportionately affected by housing instability. A little less than a quarter of the county’s population is Black, but 65% of the youth experiencing homelessness were Black.
Homelessness is a racial equity issue
While many may cite statistics, I want to explicitly say that homelessness in Chicago is a racial equity issue. We must acknowledge the impact of deep interpersonal trauma endured by Black Americans.
Disrupting the cycle of trauma requires the transformation of public systems — for early childhood education, mental health, child protection, criminal justice, and education — to address inequities that begin at birth and shape each child’s life. For real change to occur, American society needs public systems that preempt crisis and promote the well-being of Black families and children.
The need for early intervention is reflected in our further findings in the Voices of Youth Count: 40% of Cook County youth we interviewed had been physically harmed and more than half of youth with child welfare histories cited their entrance into foster care as the beginning of their homelessness. The death of a parent or caregiver was cited by 45% of Cook County youth as the time when their experience of homelessness began, a higher rate than in any other city we studied.
LGBTQA youth, foster youth and youth with juvenile justice histories had experienced more adversity. Turning 18 was a high-risk period. For many, homelessness began at 18 when parents expected them to be financially independent. Youth from Cook County had higher rates of high school diploma and GED attainment (70%) than youth in other counties, but they reported having to choose between continuing their education and remaining unstably housed or working low-wage jobs.
As the young people we interviewed transitioned in and out of service systems, schools, sleeping arrangements, and jobs, they experienced moments of risk for greater instability. Half of the youth we surveyed were experiencing homelessness for the first time. Prevention must be key to any housing stability strategy. Any solutions must be attuned to the presence of prior critical conditions, before they erupt into crises.
Our young people have incredible potential. Our Black youth, in particular, need us to be there for them so they can fulfill that potential. Their success isn’t just something that we depend on, it’s something for which we are responsible.
Bryan Samuels is executive director of Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago and former commissioner of the Administration for Children, Youth and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services during the Obama administration.
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