Finding homeless youth patterns based on geographical area and number of homeless episodes

A census of homeless youth was conducted in locations across Los Angeles County, California. Building on previous research that has focused on homeless youth in cruise areas, the authors examined demographic and behavioral differences between homeless youth in cruise and noncruise areas. Youth in cruise areas were more likely than youth in noncruise areas to be older, to have been away from home longer, to have recently visited community-based agencies, and were likely to have resided in shelters and less likely to attend school. These data suggest possible selection bias in earlier studies that relied primarily on homeless youth from cruise areas.