Youth Entering an Emergency Shelter Care Facility

Two hundred and ninety five youth between 11 and 17 years of age who entered an emergency shelter care facility reported on their prior involvement with mental health and criminal justice systems. More than a quarter indicated a prior arrest, 10.5% reported a hospital admission, and 43.1% said they had received counseling. An overall logistic regression model revealed that youth who had received counseling prior to entry were almost 3 times more likely to'be released to an adult who was not a relative or friend than youth who had not received counseling. Implications for the coordination of services from multiple sectors are discussed.