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Chapter 3: Homeless Population and Current Service Capacity Five percent of those seeking services in 1994 were 55 or over and only one percent were 65 or older. This number may underrepresent homeless seniors, who may be reluctant to seek services due to their physical vulnerability and a generational aversion - to seeking poverty services. The 1996 Continuum of Care survey identified nearly 13 % of respondents as over the age of 50. Unaccompanied Youth- Numbers of unaccompanied homeless youth are often underestimated. In the 1996 - Continuum of Care survey 8 percent of respondents were under 23, although only one person was between the ages of 12 and 17. This may reflect the lack of services available to unaccompanied youth. In 1996, the U.S. Conference of Mayors estimated that 3 percent of all homeless persons nationally are unaccompanied youth. The City of Berkeley estimates that unaccompanied youth may constitute as much as 15 percent _ of that city's homeless population. In Alameda County as a whole, using the conservative national estimate of 3 percent, there may be between 270-450 unaccompanied youth homeless in Alameda County at any time and between 810-1,350 _. over the course of a year. Homelessness among youth often follows time in institutions such as foster care, juvenile detention, and inpatient mental health care. On any given day, 700 children and youth are in emergency foster care or in Juvenile Hall in Alameda County. More than 4,000 youth are in foster placements, juvenile camps, the California Youth - Authority, mental health facilities, group homes or other institutions. When they are discharged or "age-out" of these institutions, many of these young people are at high risk of becoming homeless. - Gender- Women account for an estimated 40% of the total adult homeless population at any given time. There is a large discrepancy between the percentages of men and women accessing shelter and other services sites and those accessing food. According to a - study by Marjorie Robertson et al, "Health Status and Access to Health Services Among Homeless Adults in Alameda County", (1993), this indicates that homeless _ women and families are more likely to seek non-food services than single homeless men. Alameda County-Wide Homeless Continuum of Care Plan: April 1997 - 18