Part I addresses the background and social, educational, and health issues of homeless children, including a discussion of causality. The first chapter in this section is a general survey of what is known and unknown about homeless youth and families and the estimated parameters of the situation. The next chapter focuses on social and educational issues, followed by chapters on health issues and the cause of homelessness. Part II presents the homeless youth and their families. Two chapters tell the stories of some youth and families from their own perspectives, and a third chapter examines the situation of homeless babies. A fourth chapter describes some adults who have survived homelessness as youth and what has happened and is happening to them. The final chapter in this section discusses how the visual media portray homeless youth through analysis of some contemporary television shows, videos, and films. Part III is a description of programs and more general societal responses to homelessness. One chapter describes the ameliorative systems that have been created for and about these youth, as well as some of the laws designed to provide relief and/or other help. At the end of the chapter, some alternative responses of other societies are briefly described. The remaining chapter in this section considers the organization of types of help. Part IV, which consists of one chapter, provides analysis and conclusions. Preventive and ameliorative action on the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels and macro- and microplanes are developed as alternative approaches. 250 references and a subject index