People often add to this indignity by ignoring or deriding them. To retain their pride and dignity, youth will panhandle in groups. Traveling in a pack, these youth pose as predators so they appear less like prey. For many youth, this degrading aspect of pan handling outweighs its safety. For this reason they may turn to stealing.
Youth often start by stealing food or clothing.
As they become more proficient they may steal larger items and start selling their stolen goods. Unlike housed youth, these young people steal not for adventure, but for survival. If they remain on the streets, survival becomes the central reality, leading youth into activities which have high risk and low benefits. Emergency shelters are set for youth to stay no more than fifteen nights. Services for the most part are aimed at getting kids off the street.