Spectrum's target population is primarily homeless youth, some of the most vulnerable of the homeless population. Youth leave home for many reasons: family conflict, physical and/or sexual abuse, parental substance abuse, neglect, and parental unwillingness or inability to care for them. Often, becoming homeless is a way for them to cope with the situation at home.

Some of these youth have spent time in the custody of the state and have lived in several foster homes before leaving, often unprepared to live on their own and isolated from their communities. (Vermont is one of only three states in the country that terminates foster care at age 18.) Ill-prepared for the "real world," many of these young people end up on the streets, at Spectrum's shelter, or in jail.

Homeless and at-risk youth are very resourceful and do what they can to try to survive. They "couch hop" from friend's house to friend's house until there are no more open doors. They may sell drugs, steal, and become involved in "survival sex", trading sex for food, shelter, drugs and protection. Most have dropped out, or are slowly slipping away from school and any other community connections they may have had, such as church or youth groups.

These young people are extremely vulnerable to exploitation by other people, and they are at high risk for substance abuse, sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, and HIV infection. They are hungry, confused, depressed, at high risk for developing serious health problems. Because they feel very alone in the world, they are also at risk for suicide.

Moreover, these youth are at high risk of poverty, crime, and incarceration (at the cost of $31,094 per year to the taxpayer). (Bureau of Justice Statistics, State Prison Expenditures. 1996) The Vermont Department of Corrections reports that the highest number of incarcerated males and females in the state are in the 18-21 year-old range, and Corrections officials estimate that approximately one-third of these inmates are youth who have "aged-out" of foster care.

In 2002, the New England Network for Child, Youth & Family Services completed a homeless youth counting project in public schools. Based on previous surveys, they expected the number of homeless youth to equal approximately 10% of the survey respondents. At Burlington High School (BHS), the ratio was 22% (176 out of 811 respondents). Because this survey was conducted at the school, it missed the homeless youth who do not attend school.

These are the youth most people have given up on, and recent data provided by the Kids Count 2004 profile for Vermont indicate their numbers are growing. A project of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Kids Count, is a national and state-by-state effort to track the status of children's well-being in the U.S. The profile includes statistics on "disconnected young adults." These people are defined as "persons ages 18 to 24 who: 1) are not presently enrolled in school; 2) are not currently working; and 3) have no degree beyond a high school diploma or GED. This measure reflects those young adults who are considered having difficulty navigating what most would consider a successful transition to adulthood." In fact, according to the 2004 report, there are 6,000 young adults in Vermont who are disconnected, or 12% of young adults, and 19% of 18-24 year olds are living in poverty.

Spectrum has a local and national reputation for its innovative work with these youth. In 1996, Spectrum was the only program in New England to be awarded HUD's Innovative Outreach Grant. In 1997, the organization was chosen as a showcase agency for the New England Network for Child, Youth and Family Services. In 1998, Spectrum was honored to receive the Sara Lee Foundation Award for Leadership, given to three organizations from around the nation for exemplary innovation and leadership in the field of human services. In 1999, Spectrum received the National Network for Youth's National Leadership Award for Leadership in Building Youth Participation. In 2004, Spectrum's counseling program received the Vermont State Treatment Director's Award for outstanding leadership and performance in the field of substance abuse/co-occurring adolescent treatment. In addition, Spectrum's Clinical Director was chosen to participate as one of three candidates from the state in a regional leadership institute conducted by Antioch Graduate School.