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U.S. Code as of:
01/19/04
Section 5701. Findings
The Congress finds that -
(1) youth who have become homeless or who leave and remain away
from home without parental permission, are at risk of developing,
and have a disproportionate share of, serious health, behavioral,
and emotional 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) many such young people, because of their age and situation,
are urgently in need of temporary shelter and services, including
services that are linguistically appropriate and acknowledge the
environment of youth seeking these services;
(3) 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 and aftercare services, emergency shelter services,
extended residential shelter, and street outreach services)
outside the welfare system and the law enforcement system;
(4) 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; and
(5) improved coordination and collaboration between the Federal
programs that serve runaway and homeless youth are necessary for
the development of a long-term strategy for responding to the
needs of this population.
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