Quick Facts
Facts Since 2000
- There has been an increase of more than 300 percent in crisis calls to the National Runaway Switchboard that cite the economy as a problem over the past seven years (data for this statistic is limited to a seven year time horizon). The bulk of that increase occurred from 2006 through 2008, which saw a jump of over 200 percent in crisis calls about the economy.
- There has been a jump of more than 200 percent in crisis calls from homeless youth since 2000. (NRS defines youth as young people through 21 years old).
- The category of crisis callers age 18 to 21 has increased by more than 500 percent since 2000.
- To survive, more crisis callers turned to panhandling (139 percent increase), the sex industry (30 percent increase), stealing (49 percent increase), and selling drugs (33 percent increase), in 2008 than in 2000.
- The number of youth calling from home has increased 61 percent since 2000.
- There has been a decrease in the number of youth calling from police/detention of 54 percent since 2000.
- There was a 56 percent increase in the number of males calling NRS since 2000 and a 20 percent increase in the number of females calling NRS in the same period.
Facts From 2008
- The majority of crisis callers to the National Runaway Switchboard in 2008 were aged 15-17 at 52 percent.
- The largest proportion of crisis callers to the National Runaway Switchboard in 2008 had been on the street for one to three days, at 39 percent.
- More than half (51 percent) of the youth were already on the street as a runaway or throwaway.
- The most commonly reported crisis caller problem in 2008 was family dynamics (divorce, remarriage, problems with siblings) and abuse (substance, physical, sexual, neglect), at 44 percent.
- Seventy-two percent of callers were female, 28 percent were male.
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