Transitioning Youth

"Compared to their peers, youth who leave the foster care system without permanency experience greater risks for adverse young adult outcomes, including homelessness, incarceration, substance abuse, and early child birth. Extant literature focuses on individual-level factors related to adversity. In this study, we estimated the impact of state and individual-level risk and protective factors on adverse 19-year-old outcomes among a cohort of U.S. transition age youth.
We used multilevel modeling to analyze prospective, longitudinal data from two waves of the National Youth in Transitions Database (N = 7449). These data were linked to the Adoption and Foster Care Reporting System, the Administration for Children and Families budget expenditures, and the American Community Survey for the period from 2011 to 2013."

"Rapid rehousing (RRH) is an intervention that is being adopted nationally to assist adolescents and emerging
adults who are homeless. RRH provides short-term rental assistance for independent scattered-site housing, in addition to an array of support services for approximately 12–24 months. The aim of this study is to explore the experiences of young adults (18–23 years old) who had previously been homeless and who were enrolled in RRH programs set in two urban Northeastern cities, and their subsequent preparedness for independent living. Our sample mostly consisted of non-Hispanic Black females, many of whom identified as LGBTQ. Semi-structured interviews (n = 15) were conducted after participants had been in the program for nine months - three months prior to their initial program completion date. Thematic analysis revealed three themes: the importance of tangible support, communication among all parties: staff lead the way, and “I gotta start learning to do it on my own”. These domains provided essential assistance for young people to attain their goals and through this process they learned skills to live independently and transition into adulthood. These findings suggest that rapid rehousing programs and service providers should focus on these domains to facilitate successful transition to independent living for this population."

"Background
Homeless, runaway, and youth exiting foster care are vulnerable to sexual exploitation, but little research has parsed the societal, community, and individual factors that contribute to their risk.

Objectives
(1) To estimate child welfare characteristics in a sample of homeless young people who engaged in commercial sex (CS); and (2) To compare young people who were sex trafficked (ST) to those who engaged in some other form of CS.

Participants and setting
This study includes 98 homeless young people in Philadelphia, PA, Phoenix, AZ, and Washington, DC, who were interviewed for a larger study of ST and endorsed engagement in CS.

Methods
We used a non-probability, purposive, maximum variation sampling procedure. Interviews were recorded and responses were simultaneously noted on a standardized interview form. Data were analyzed through means, frequencies, and bivariate tests of association.

Results
Average age of the full sample of 98 homeless young people was 20.9 years; 48% were female and 50% were Black/African American. Forty-six percent of the full sample was sex trafficked. The full sample and the victims of ST differed significantly in three child welfare characteristics, with the ST group more likely to have been maltreated as children, more likely to have had family involvement with the child welfare system (CWS), and more likely to report higher rates of living someplace other than with their biological parents as children.

Conclusions
ST victims differ from those who engaged in other forms of CS in histories of maltreatment, involvement with the CWS, and exposure to residential instability while growing up."

"Objectives: The present study investigates the nature of homelessness among at-risk youth transitioning into adulthood. Current policies use multiple definitions to determine eligibility for homeless services among adolescents and emerging adults. Conflicting criteria demarcate different thresholds along an assumed continuum ranging from frequent mobility to living on the streets. Multiple eligibility criteria impede cohesive service provision and prevention efforts. Little research tests this continuum conceptualization, while developmental research suggests subgroups better capture homelessness in emerging adulthood. The present study leveraged prospective data on a national sample of child welfare-involved adolescents—a population vulnerable to homelessness in emerging adulthood.
Methods: Youth report experiences of housing instability and homelessness 18–36 months after child welfare investigation, as well as adaptive functioning in multiple behavioral domains. Latent variable analyses test for a continuum of housing insecurity with reliable thresholds versus a typology capturing subgroups of co-ccurring patterns of housing instability.
Results: Results show little support for a continuum of risk; instead, three subgroups of housing instability emerge. The largest group, ‘Stably Dependent’ (83%) youth, live with family without attaining education and employment experiences necessary for independence. A smaller group labeled ‘Transients’ (12%) exhibit multiple housing and behavior problems typical of runaway youth. The smallest group, ‘Unstably Independent’ (5%), youth struggled to maintain housing in the absence of supportive adults.
Conclusions: Findings affirm a developmental conceptualization of homelessness and identify opportunities for screening and prevention."

Extensive research suggests that transition-age youth (TAY) disproportionately experience periods in which they are either homeless or precariously housed. However, less is understood on the experiences of homelessness among female TAY who are parenting (TAY-M), a particularly vulnerable subgroup of TAY. In an effort to understand the characteristics and needs of TAY-M, this study conducted chi-squared tests to evaluate the differences between homeless and housed TAY-M on demographics, general functioning, and service use at age 21. Findings of this study emphasize the need for targeted interventions for TAY-M who experience homelessness.

Queer young people, or young people who are sexuality diverse and/or trans and gender diverse, face a higher lifetime likelihood of homelessness than their cis-heterosexual peers. However, queer young people are often treated as a homogenous group within research, a methodological decision that obscures differences on the basis of gender identity. Drawing upon 2,159 intake records from a youth housing program in Australia, the authors compare the experiences of (i) cis-heterosexual; (ii) sexuality diverse; and (iii) trans and gender diverse young people across a number of domains related to vulnerability, including victimization and violence, health, substance use, and support systems. Eighteen percent of young people in the sample identified as queer, and five percent identified as trans or gender diverse. Queer young people were more likely to report family and intimate partner violence, poor mental health, and recent substance use than cis-hetero youth. Trans and gender non-conforming respondents were more likely than sexuality diverse peers to be experiencing current, rather than past, family violence, and less likely to report intimate partner violence and substance use. We conclude by discussing these issues within the context of past research and their implication for future research and practice within the homelessness sector.

Background: Rates of homelessness have been increasing in recent years, thereby necessitating a more direct approach to treating this complex social problem. Homeless youth have disproportionately high rates of untreated mental health problems and are therefore particularly vulnerable to the effects of homelessness during the transition period from adolescence to adulthood. Methods: The study team developed a shelter-based clinic and collected clinical measures on youth who attended this clinic from October 2016 through June 2018. Results: Youth attended an average number of three sessions, but there was a significant drop in follow-up after the first (intake) appointment. Depression, anger, and adjustment disorder emerged as the most common presenting mental health concerns identified by clinicians in the intake appointment, and trauma was identified as a significant complaint for those youth who returned for a second session. Conclusion: Mental health care is needed in this population, but future studies should explore alternative approaches to retaining homeless youth in treatment and in designing targeted trauma-informed interventions.