In fact, in some of the shelters, we went from twenty youngsters a night to two. That was a big drop. There are so few beds in any kind of group home. Youth service providers have been struggling with how best to protect themselves and their clients. If you don't ask a kid if they ran away and their parent doesn't want them to be gone, then you have a reason to think that maybe it's okay for them to be away from home.
Providers also worry what kind of environment they're sending kids back to.
The youngsters that we see who are on the streets for a length of time who feel they have to survive by being on the streets for most of them the situation is not a good one at home. About a fourth have literally been shoved out, pushed out by their parents. Altogether, about three-fourths have experienced some form of abuse or serious neglect. But legislator Carrell thinks for many kids charges of abuse at home may be unfounded. This is the, the tactical nuclear weapon of the 1990's.