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Ohio Near Bottom When it Comes to Helping Homeless Youth

screenshot of interactive True Colors United survey
TRUE COLORS UNITED
A new survey shows Ohio lagging behind most states in helping homeless kids.

A new report puts Ohio near last in the list of how states handle homelessness in people under 24. Ohio ranked 42nd among all states in dealing with youth homelessness, especially with LGBTQ kids.

The group True Colors United said LGBTQ youth are more than twice as likely to be homeless as their non-LGTBQ peers. Spokesman Dylan Waguespack said the report looked at 61 metrics in Ohio, and found the state needs policies to prevent homeless young people from coming into contact with the criminal justice system, and needs more state-level help to protect them.

“We’re talking about the infrastructure that’s created to support young people, whether there’s a state plan to end homelessness, whether that has a youth component.”

The group suggested a state youth homelessness office, allowing kids to get services without court involvement, declassifying running away as a delinquent offense, and banning the practice of conversion therapy. A bill to do that was just introduced.

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Karen is a lifelong Ohioan who has served as news director at WCBE-FM, assignment editor/overnight anchor at WBNS-TV, and afternoon drive anchor/assignment editor in WTAM-AM in Cleveland. In addition to her daily reporting for Ohio’s public radio stations, she’s reported for NPR, the BBC, ABC Radio News and other news outlets. She hosts and produces the Statehouse News Bureau’s weekly TV show “The State of Ohio”, which airs on PBS stations statewide. She’s also a frequent guest on WOSU TV’s “Columbus on the Record”, a regular panelist on “The Sound of Ideas” on ideastream in Cleveland, appeared on the inaugural edition of “Face the State” on WBNS-TV and occasionally reports for “PBS Newshour”. She’s often called to moderate debates, including the Columbus Metropolitan Club’s Issue 3/legal marijuana debate and its pre-primary mayoral debate, and the City Club of Cleveland’s US Senate debate in 2012.