"I�ve stopped drinking, but I�m still dealing with this drug addiction. I have a lot of regrets, but all I want is stability and employment," says Paige, a model-tall, slender, pretty, brown-skinned woman, neatly dressed in a T-shirt and pants. The only hint that she might be homeless were her tattered shoes and nearby knapsack.

Paige was once one of the nation�s estimated 1.3 million homeless youth reported every year. She has been on her own since she was 13-years-old. Homeless advocates say a disproportionate number of homeless youth are Black and Hispanic. According to experts, the average homeless person is nine-years-old.

According to "Runaway and Homeless Youth," a comprehensive study conducted by the National Network for Youth, a Washington-based advocacy group, youth in homeless shelters were 40.7 percent Black and 19.7 percent Latino, while whites were 31.7 percent and other races 7.9 percent.

Homelessness among youth is an enormous problem, says Lawrence Zippin, National Network for Youth executive director. It�s symptomatic of larger issues, such as poverty, single parent homes, the absence of extended families, drugs, crime, wage gaps and other social divides, he says. It�s difficult to be a young person even in a stable environment, Mr. Zippin adds.

"Growing up poor or in an abusive environment in America makes it three times more difficult to grow up to be a contributing member of society. Millions of young people have no role models, adult supervision, guidance or mentors. The government has never taken a real strong interest in young people, who are always considered for their problems, not for their potential," Mr. Zippin argues.

Ignoring the problems and needs of young people costs society more in the long run, when partnerships between families, communities and youth can resolve problems, he continues. "We must develop institutions that listen to young people," Mr. Zippin says.

The communities and families that homeless youth come from can be the very same vehicles to help save them, observes Cynthia Milsap, executive director of The Night Ministry, one of the most renown youth-oriented street ministries in the country. It may take counseling and sorting out family problems, but that relationship may be salvageable over time, says Ms. Milsap. Community support can help youth cope with feelings of isolation and obtain tools to be self-sufficient, she notes.

For 25 years, The Night Ministry has served as a safe haven for thousands of youth, most of whom are Black. Many of them are young mothers, and their children, and runaways who need shelter, food, clothing and emotional support to pull their often shattered lives together.

The organization, which serves youth from ages 14-21, is backed by hundreds of volunteers from religious, community and social service groups and has worked to help homeless youth by providing schooling, job training, job searches, medical care, prenatal care, mental health, substance abuse and family reunification.

The Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, an advocacy group that has worked on youth homelessness a decade, helped to pass the first state law to create emergency youth shelters. It has now launched No Youth Alone, a campaign to end youth homelessness in Illinois. The campaign is seeking increased state funding for homeless youth programs from $4 million to $8 million. Current funding for homeless youth of $162 per person per year is not enough to help a young person become a productive member of society, advocates say.

According to Bob Palmer, a policy specialist for the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, most youth who have and will experience homelessness come from families where severe physical and emotional abuse, neglect and instability are a part of everyday life. These youth, who also may have a mental illness that is unnoticed or dismissed, are most likely to fall prey to violence, substance abuse and prostitution.

The Chicago Coalition conducted a survey of approximately 200 youth and found that 75 percent had been abused by a parent or guardian, 50 percent lived with a person with a substance abuse problem, 44 percent had been wards of the state and 15 percent has been sexually assaulted by their parent or guardian.

Paige will only say she didn�t want to be home anymore, and that she wasn�t physically abused.

"Historically, peoples� perception of youth who were homeless was that they were adventure seekers or couldn�t put up with their parents rules. Now it�s accepted that youth who are homeless are fleeing bad situations at home," Mr. Palmer says.

Homeless youth engaged in risky behavior or in unsafe environments are also at greater risk of contracting HIV/AIDS, warns Lacinda Hummel, of the Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health. The risk of infection is 2-10 times higher than youth with homes, she explains.

"To address the needs of homeless youth we need more outreach programs, drop-in centers, emergency shelters, transitional or independent living programs and other services that help youth. For every youth that is served, two are turned away from places where they seek help," says Ms. Hummel.

"The trauma of being a homeless youth is incredible and both their mental and physical health must be dealt with in the most effective way possible," Ms. Hummel says.

Advocates are hailing one legislator�s concern for youth homelessness, Rep. Danny K. Davis, who recently held a well-attended town hall meeting about youths� lives on the streets. He notes some public schools are addressing the needs of homeless children. Some even have schools specifically for youth who declare themselves homeless or whose families are homeless, he says.

"We�re looking at whether or not there are enough services and we�re working on legislation to make sure that homeless youth are fully integrated into regular school programs, rather than being segregated or isolated in any way. So many youth, for a variety of reasons, don�t have a place to live. Some can�t make it at home with their parents or other relatives, some are driven out or away, some have personal tragedies or have been wards of the state," says Rep. Davis. "Many of them become youth who live horrible lives through prostitution, exploitation, living in abandoned buildings and cars."

The Illinois Democrat has created a Task Force to End Homelessness to find young people and provide resources and counseling to improve their lives. Rep. Davis also believes preventive measures such as improved education, reduced unemployment and greater counseling and support services for families are needed.

"There must be a comprehensive approach in dealing with human needs and social problems. An unstable family helps to produce homelessness among youth," the congressman told The Final Call.