We need to pay attention to substance use among homeless youth.

I t is estimated that 1.5 to 2.5 million youth in the United States experience homelessness (Congressional Research Reports, 2006). Homeless youth represent one of the most vulnerable and underserved populations and have been referred to as society’s forgotten children (Whitbeck & Hoyt, 1999). On the surface, homeless youth appear quite similar to their housed peers and are difficult to distinguish based on appearance or behavior alone; however, a closer examination reveals stark differences between homeless youth and their nonhomeless peers. Homeless youth are more likely than their housed peers to have been abused and victimized, experience higher rates ofmental illness and sexually transmitted infections including HIV, and go without food and shelter (Ringwalt, Greene, & Robertson, 1998; Sanchez, Waller, & Greene, 2006; Whitbeck & Hoyt, 1999). Histories of childhood maltreatment including sexual abuse, highly conflicted family relationships, and parental abuse of substances are common among homeless youth and are considered to be the main antecedents to youth leaving home (Brooks, Milburn, Rotheram-Borus, & Witkin, 2004; Hyde, 2005).