Two Anniversaries, One Goal: Celebrating the Runaway & Homeless Youth and Family Violence Prevention & Services Acts

By William H. Bentley, Associate Commissioner, Family and Youth Services Bureau

This fall has been an exciting and busy time at the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB). In September, we commemorated the 40th anniversary of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA). And last month, we celebrated 30 years of the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA). We all know that November is a time to give thanks. I’d like to kick off this month of gratitude by highlighting the combined strength of RHYA and FVPSA. Together, these important pieces of legislation make possible a nationwide network of support for young people affected by trauma.  

It’s my privilege as FYSB Associate Commissioner to support the organizations and communities that work every day to put an end to youth homelessness, adolescent pregnancy and domestic violence. Authorized by RHYA and FVPSA, the Runaway and Homeless Youth and Family Violence Prevention and Services Programs have unique missions, but share the same goal: to empower communities to respond effectively and compassionately to vulnerable persons seeking shelter and safety. 

To accomplish that goal, FYSB’s Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY) Program funds the National Runaway Safeline, 109 Street Outreach, 299 Basic Center and 200 Transitional Living programs across the country that provide critical services to young people who have experienced rejection and trauma, escaped abuse and sexual exploitation. And the Family Violence Prevention and Services (FVPSA) Program supports more than 1,600 shelters, and the National Domestic Violence Hotline, to deliver immediate safety planning and crisis intervention to survivors of domestic violence and dating violence. The FVPSA Program also funds services across 200 Tribes and Tribal organizations, domestic violence coalitions in 56 states and territories, and nine national resource centers and culturally-specific institutes.

Each year, thousands of U.S. youth run away from home, are asked to leave their homes or become homeless and we know young people who live on the streets are at high risk of developing serious, life-long health, behavioral, and emotional problems. At the same time, about one in four women, and one in seven men, report experiencing severe physical violence from an intimate partner at some point in their lifetimes; and the overwhelming majority of survivors, regardless of gender, report first experiencing this abuse before the age of 25.¹ Advocates in both the domestic violence and runaway and homeless youth fields know that it’s not uncommon for a young person to leave their home, or be forced out of a living situation, due to dating violence or physical or sexual abuse from a family member. Together, the RHY and FVPSA Programs are making these connections at the federal level through collaborative efforts to prevent all types of teen dating violence, support young survivors, and encourage adolescents and teens to build healthy relationship skills.  One example of this collaboration is the Runaway and Homeless Youth Relationship Violence Toolkit , created by FVPSA’s National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, with support from the RHY Program.  This collection of resources and training materials assists domestic violence programs serving young survivors, as well as runaway and homeless youth programs helping youth seeking safety from relationship violence.

Partnerships like this at the federal level are important to encourage diverse victim services providers to work together. Laura Zeilinger, executive director of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, said it best in our blog celebrating RHYA: “The key is collaboration. We know that when youth service providers and public systems at every level are collaborating, engaging in productive discussion…and figuring out how to be nimble enough to adapt to the needs of youth, we are more likely to see positive results.” That’s why I’m proud of the shared commitment of the RHY and FVPSA Programs to work together to promote healthy relationships and healing from trauma for youth.

Recognizing the overlapping traumas of abuse, relationship violence and homelessness is crucial to better service delivery, and more effective prevention strategies. The programs that FYSB supports—runaway and homeless youth agencies, and domestic violence shelters and services— resulted from distinct legislative victories, but share a mutual goal: enhancing the safety and healing of young people living in situations marked by violence and abuse. In celebrating the historic anniversaries of RHYA and FVPSA, let’s pledge to continue the work we’ve started to promote safety, stability, and healing for all youth and families across our nation.

¹Prevalence and Characteristics of Sexual Violence, Stalking, and Intimate Partner Violence Victimization — National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, United States, 2014.