§5701. Congressional statement of findings

The Congress hereby finds that-

(1) juveniles who have become homeless or who leave and remain away from home without parental permission, are at risk of developing serious health and other problems because they lack sufficient resources to obtain care and may live on the street for extended periods thereby endangering themselves and creating a substantial law enforcement problem for communities in which they congregate;

(2) the exact nature of the problem is not well defined because national statistics on the size and profile of the runaway youth population are not tabulated;

(3) many such young people, because of their age and situation, are urgently in need of temporary shelter and counseling services;

(4) the problem of locating, detaining, and returning runaway children should not be the responsibility of already overburdened police departments and juvenile justice authorities;

(5) in view of the interstate nature of the problem, it is the responsibility of the Federal Government to develop an accurate national reporting system to report the problem, and to assist in the development of an effective system of care (including preventive services, emergency shelter services, and extended residential shelter) outside the welfare system and the law enforcement system;

(6) runaway and homeless youth have a disproportionate share of health, behavioral, and emotional problems compared to the general population of youth, but have less access to health care and other appropriate services and therefore may need access to longer periods of residential care, more intensive aftercare service, and other assistance;

(7) to make a successful transition to adulthood, runaway youth, homeless youth, and other street youth need opportunities to complete high school or earn a general equivalency degree, learn job skills, and obtain employment;

(8) services for runaway and homeless youth are needed in urban, suburban, and rural areas;

(9) early intervention services (such as home-based services) are needed to prevent runaway and homeless youth from becoming involved in the juvenile justice system and other law enforcement systems; and

(10) street-based services that target runaway and homeless youth where they congregate are needed to reach youth who require assistance but who would not otherwise avail themselves of such assistance or services without street-based outreach.

( Pub. L. 93–415, title III, §302, Sept. 7, 1974, 88 Stat. 1129 ; Pub. L. 102–586, §3(a), Nov. 4, 1992, 106 Stat. 5017 ; Pub. L. 106–71, §3(a), Oct. 12, 1999, 113 Stat. 1035 .)

Amendments

1999-Par. (5). Pub. L. 106–71, §3(a)(1), substituted "an accurate national reporting system to report the problem, and to assist in the development of" for "accurate reporting of the problem nationally and to develop".

Par. (8). Pub. L. 106–71, §3(a)(2), added par. (8) and struck out former par. (8) which read as follows: "in view of the interstate nature of the problem, it is the responsibility of the Federal Government to develop an accurate national reporting system and to develop an effective system of care including prevention, emergency shelter services, and longer residential care outside the public welfare and law enforcement structures;".

1992-Par. (1). Pub. L. 102–586, §3(a)(1), amended par. (1) generally. Prior to amendment, par. (1) read as follows: "the number of juveniles who leave and remain away from home without parental permission has increased to alarming proportions, creating a substantial law enforcement problem for the communities inundated, and significantly endangering the young people who are without resources and live on the street;".

Par. (5). Pub. L. 102–586, §3(a)(3), substituted "care (including preventive services, emergency shelter services, and extended residential shelter) outside the welfare system and the law enforcement system;" for "temporary care outside the law enforcement structure."

Pars. (6) to (10). Pub. L. 102–586, §3(a)(2), (4), added pars. (6) to (10).

Short Title

For short title of title III of Pub. L. 93–415, which enacted this subchapter, as the "Runaway and Homeless Youth Act", see section 301 of Pub. L. 93–415, as amended, set out as a note under section 5601 of this title.