A multi-session, skills-building program to help runaway and homeless youth practice safer sexual behaviors and reduce substance use. Sessions address improving youths' social skills, assertiveness and coping through exercises on problem solving, identifying triggers, and reducing harmful behaviors. Agency staff also provide individual counseling and trips to community health providers.

The Street Smart program targets runaway and homeless youth, ages 11 to 18.

Appropriate Participants for the Street Smart Training

The Street Smart training is an intensive training developed and designed specifically for staff of agencies who are implementing or ready to implement the Street Smart intervention. These agencies will receive priority for acceptance into the trainings. As space allows, others may be accepted as participants in the training. A limited number of observers are accepted into the training and may include: health department managers who are monitoring agency grantees and CDC Project Officers.

Research and Development

Rotheram-Borus, M., Van Rossem, R., Gwadz, M., Koopman, C., Lee, M. (1997). Reductions in HIV risk among runaway youths. Los Angeles, University of California, Department of Psychiatry, Division of Social and Community Psychiatry, Los Angeles, CA.

Rotheram-Borus, M.J., Song, J., Gwadz, M., Lee, M., Van Rossem, R., Koopman, C. (1993). Reductions in HIV Risk Among Runaway Youth. Prevention Science, 4(3), 173-187.

Program Review Panel Information

The CDC requires all CDC-funded agencies using the Street Smart intervention to identify, or establish, and utilize a Program Review Panel and complete Form 0.1113 to document this activity. The intervention researchers and developers are not involved in this activity. This is a CDC requirement for their grantees, and all questions in this regard should be directed to your agency's CDC Project Officer or to the health department funding your agency's implementation of the intervention.

The Program Review Panel guidelines, instructions for completion of Form 0.113, and the form itself are available under the Related Links section of this website.

CDC Policy on Youth Peer Outreach Workers

CDC funded (directly or indirectly) agencies using youth (either paid or volunteer) in program outreach activities, it is very important that said organizations use caution and judgment in the venues/situations where youth workers are placed. Agencies should give careful consideration to the "age appropriateness" of the activity or venue. Additionally, agencies should comply with all relevant laws and regulations regarding entrance into adult establishments/environments. Laws and curfews should be clearly outlined in required safety protocols developed and implemented by agencies directly and indirectly funded by CDC.

If you have specific questions, please contact your CDC project officer.