Homeless Young Women Are 16 Times More Likely To Die Than Peers In This City

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/homeless-youth-san-francisco-mortality-rate_us_5711342de4b06f35cb6f8675

https://peerj.com/articles/1909.pdf

http://news.berkeley.edu/2016/04/14/san-franciscos-homeless-youth-at-10-times-higher-risk-of-death/

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/apr/14/san-francisco-homeless-youth-ten-times-more-likely-to-die

A new study is shedding light on the harsh toll of homelessness on youth.

New research out of UC Berkeley found that homeless youth in San Francisco have a ten times higher mortality rate than their peers with permanent housing.

“This population is highly stigmatized,” said Colette Auerswald, associate professor at UC Berkeley, in a press release. “That stigma leads to neglect and, in turn, to increased mortality.”  

What’s more, young women in the study were more likely to die than young men: the homeless female youth had a 16 times higher mortality rate than the average woman of their race and age, while men had a nine times higher mortality rate.

“Women are in a very vulnerable place socially on the streets,” Auerswald said to the Guardian.

“And they’re often in exploitative relationships where they are dependent on people who are hurting them in order to survive.”