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Project HOMELESS 96

Acronym HOMELESS 96

Title Youth homelessness in Austria

Co-ordinator ICCR, Austria

Client FEANTSA, Belgium

Duration December 1995 - February 1997

Person Responsible Liana Giorgi

Objectives
Hardly any data is available on youth homelessness in Austria. The topic is even less prominent in public and political debate than homelessness in general. The following assessment of homelessness and, in particularly, youth homelessness relies on secondary sources, expert interviews, interviews with homeless youths and data gained from a non-representative questionnaire survey conducted for this purpose.

Homelessness in Austria differs across regions: general trends indicate at best stagnation, yet most sources indicate an increasing trend due to factors that can be best summarized as increased vulnerability of those population groups with the least buffer resources. Many sources speak of a decrease in the average age of homeless people.

While homelessness is primarily an urban phenomenon, it can also be observed in rural areas: indicators that, however, need to be verified by further research, suggest that rural homeless may migrate to urban areas where more services are available, but that traditional protective social relationship patterns in rural areas are in the process of change as well, thus pointing towards structural changes and increased service need in rural and urban areas alike.

Usually a combination of factors puts young people at risk to become homelessness. Dysfunctional families, educational deficits and lack of financial and social resources which consequently influence an adverse housing situation are among the leading risk factors. Individual indicators such as addiction, criminal records or adjustment problems are closely related. Foreign youth have been clearly identified as a risk group. The position of immigrants in the legal and social system makes them more vulnerable. A less than perfect housing market, the situation at the labor market and related to that aspects of the educational system do not facilitate it for young people to find their place in the social system. Youth homelessness is still most prevalent among lower income strata but an increasingly young people originating from the middle class are concerned as well. As the most vulnerable age groups children aged 14 to 19 and youths between 19 and 25 have been identified. Homeless children younger than 14 are the exception. Most typical forms appear to be short-term or hidden youth homelessness, i. e. minor runaways and young people who are formally registered at the parental home but are in fact homeless.

Gender differences can be observed in the coping strategies. Hidden homelessness characterizes more the situation of girls and women. Their social relationships are more likely to provide them with transitional options for accommodation. However, they are also more at risk for sexual abuse, prostitution and violence in a precarious housing situation.

While it can be stated that youth homelessness in Austria is not yet a prominent problem, and a comprehensive social protection system is in place, a trend towards increased vulnerability in the face of worsening conditions in the labor market, access to affordable housing, and a generally toughening economic situation, as can also be observed in other countries, will increasingly put the weakest segments of the population at risk.

Project Partners Youth homelessness in Austria

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Acronym	HOMELESS 96
Title	Youth homelessness in Austria
Co-ordinator	ICCR, Austria
Client	FEANTSA, Belgium
Duration	December 1995 - February 1997
Person Responsible	Liana Giorgi
Objectives	Hardly any data is available on youth homelessness in Austria. The topic is even less prominent in public and political debate than homelessness in general. The following assessment of homelessness and, in particularly, youth homelessness relies on secondary sources, expert interviews, interviews with homeless youths and data gained from a non-representative questionnaire survey conducted for this purpose. Homelessness in Austria differs across regions: general trends indicate at best stagnation, yet most sources indicate an increasing trend due to factors that can be best summarized as increased vulnerability of those population groups with the least buffer resources. Many sources speak of a decrease in the average age of homeless people. While homelessness is primarily an urban phenomenon, it can also be observed in rural areas: indicators that, however, need to be verified by further research, suggest that rural homeless may migrate to urban areas where more services are available, but that traditional protective social relationship patterns in rural areas are in the process of change as well, thus pointing towards structural changes and increased service need in rural and urban areas alike. Usually a combination of factors puts young people at risk to become homelessness. Dysfunctional families, educational deficits and lack of financial and social resources which consequently influence an adverse housing situation are among the leading risk factors. Individual indicators such as addiction, criminal records or adjustment problems are closely related. Foreign youth have been clearly identified as a risk group. The position of immigrants in the legal and social system makes them more vulnerable. A less than perfect housing market, the situation at the labor market and related to that aspects of the educational system do not facilitate it for young people to find their place in the social system. Youth homelessness is still most prevalent among lower income strata but an increasingly young people originating from the middle class are concerned as well. As the most vulnerable age groups children aged 14 to 19 and youths between 19 and 25 have been identified. Homeless children younger than 14 are the exception. Most typical forms appear to be short-term or hidden youth homelessness, i. e. minor runaways and young people who are formally registered at the parental home but are in fact homeless. Gender differences can be observed in the coping strategies. Hidden homelessness characterizes more the situation of girls and women. Their social relationships are more likely to provide them with transitional options for accommodation. However, they are also more at risk for sexual abuse, prostitution and violence in a precarious housing situation. While it can be stated that youth homelessness in Austria is not yet a prominent problem, and a comprehensive social protection system is in place, a trend towards increased vulnerability in the face of worsening conditions in the labor market, access to affordable housing, and a generally toughening economic situation, as can also be observed in other countries, will increasingly put the weakest segments of the population at risk.
Project Partners	Youth homelessness in Austria