October 2022Vol. 23, No. 8Runaway and Homeless Youth and Relationship Violence Toolkit

Many runaway and homeless youth have experienced trauma in the form of intimate partner violence (including domestic, dating, and sexual violence). For this reason, recognizing and understanding the intersection of runaway and homeless youth and intimate partner violence is important for creating meaningful services and effective intervention and prevention strategies for both homelessness and relationship abuse and in creating partnerships between the programs working with youth at risk.

The National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, a resource of Family and Youth Services Bureau within the Administration for Children and Families within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, created the Runaway & Homeless Youth and Relationship Violence Toolkit to help professionals working with runaway and homeless youth and domestic and sexual assault victims. The toolkit includes information and resources from local collaborative projects funded by the Family and Youth Services Bureau and includes resources on the following:

• Key terms and definitions
• Finding common ground between services for runaway and homeless youth and victims of intimate partner violence
• Sex trafficking of minors
• The runaway and homeless youth and domestic and sexual violence fields
• Building partnerships
• Building services
• Measuring success
• Practice tools

This toolkit is meant to be an ever-evolving resource for professionals in both fields, and new tools, tips, best practices, curricula, and other materials will be added as they are developed.

Visit the Runaway & Homeless Youth and Relationship Violence Toolkit to learn more about the importance of addressing the impact of intimate partner violence on at-risk youth and ways to mitigate the trauma associated with it.