For homeless children, assuming responsibility for their own survival is an act of self-empowerment. However, society tends to see these children as victims to be rescued, delinquents who need to be disciplined, or else they are ignored. These views deny the resourcefulness of children who survive under these conditions. A study was conducted of homeless children of Bogota, Colombia with the goal of mutual empowerment of both the researchers and the children instead of disempowerment of the children. Tyler's psychosocial competence configuration was used as a framework for developing a structured interview to measure children's sense of self-efficacy, trust, and active planfulness in their different life contexts of homes, institutions, and streets. The interview was administered by street workers over a period of 2 years to 144 children (129 boys and 15 girls), 101 of whom were under 18. Results of the study included the following: (1) reasons for leaving home included abuse, excessive discipline, family problems, parental death, poverty, and search for adventure; (2) institutions were appreciated for their ability to meet basic needs but disliked for discipline, violence, and abuse; (3) children survived by stealing, begging, and joining groups; and (4) children primarily wished for work and money to help others and for a home. Implications of this research include social policy changes to prevent family abuse and the need for agencies to support street children, capitalizing on their strengths. (ABL)