TEENAGE RUNAWAYS TRY TO SURVIVE ON THE STREETS

From the Family Research Council:  "Running Away From the Real Problem":

In yesterday's edition, the New York Times launched a powerful, two-part story about hurting teenagers who have run away from home and are trying to survive on the streets. Sleeping in the woods or in public bathrooms, these children--1.6 million of them, according to federal studies--are desperately defending themselves against hunger, predators, and the cold. Ian Urbina, who wrote the piece for the Times, blames the rising trend of runaways on the economy, claiming that the recession is forcing kids to leave home.

"Foreclosures, layoffs, rising food and fuel prices, and inadequate supplies of low-cost housing have stretched families to the extreme, and those pressures have trickled down to teenagers and preteens." The stories he tells are harrowing. Little girls camping

under freeways, cradling knives to fend off attackers. Unfortunately, this phenomenon is bound to increase if American policy doesn't start treating the real problem.

While the Times would like to blame runaways on the economy, the reality is that an intact family structure, combined with a strong moral presence in their lives, contributes more to the well-being of children than their financial picture. As our own Dr. Pat Fagan shows us in Mapping America, it's the powerful combination of strong families and faith that can protect kids who might otherwise fall through the cracks. In a recent edition, Dr. Fagan found that students in Grades 7-12 who live with their married, biological parents are half as likely to runaway from home. If we want to keep kids from straying, maybe we should focus on creating stable homes that they won't want to leave. For more information on the Mapping America Project or to subscribe, visit the Mapping America website.