First published in 1999. This book describes a secondary analysis of survey data collected from a modified snowball sample of 96 homeless and runaway youth. The sample contains youth from selected street and social service sites located within a geographically defined region of Los Angeles. The analysis examines the area of inquiry defined by the intersection of three somewhat disparate fields of research. These fields include the literatures on homeless and runaway youth; child maltreatment; and stress, coping and resiliency.

A readerʼs guide is provided to assist readers in locating entries on related topics. It classifies entries into 14 general categories: Causes, Cities, Demography and Characteristics, Health issues, History, Housing, Legal issues, Advocacy and policy, Lifestyle issues, Organizations, Perceptions of homelessness, Populations, Research, Service systems and settings, World perspectives and issues.

This book illuminates how panhandling acts as the embodiment of the experiences of street life for kids as well as how the streetscape functions as the interface between street kids and the mainstream.