Girls on their Own: Homelessness in Female Adolescents

When we first met 16-year-old Shana she was “spainging”(spare-changing) on the Ave. She agreed to participate in the study because she could make enough money to buy pizza and drinks for herself and her boyfriend. They met at a church-sponsored shelter and had been hanging together for almost a week. With a boyfriend, Shana felt protected and more willing to spend the night in a squat or even under the bridge if the weather was good. This was a welcome change from the shelter, which was always crowded and had lots of rules. She said that sometimes Mike could be difficult and demanding, but people were also less apt to mess with her when he was around. She liked that part.