Statistics from the National Network for Youth show that youth who are homeless are 16 times more likely to be diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, and two to three times more likely to be victims of assault.
A forum that explores youth homelessness in the state will begin at 9 a.m. Dec. 12 in Room 2E of the Legislative Office Building in Hartford.
Included in the forum will be the release of the state’s first comprehensive report on Connecticut youth who are runaway or homeless.
Speakers include the study’s authors, Derrick Gordon, and Bronwyn A. Hunter, of The Consultation Center at Yale University School of Medicine; Robert Pulster, United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, and a panel of Connecticut youth who are or have been homeless.
The event is hosted by Stacey Violante Cote, Esq, Center for Children’s Advocacy and chair of the Reaching Home Youth Workgroup, and Alicia Woodsby, deputy executive director of Partnership for Strong Communities.
The study was funded by American Savings Foundation; Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness; Melville Charitable Trust; Partnership for Strong Communities, and Tow Foundation. The event is co-sponsored by Connecticut’s Joint Committees on Housing, Children, Human Services, Education, and Public Health.