outcomes project chapin hall youth collaboratory

We recommend that runaway and youth homelessness programs: Analysis of this racial inequity points to potential systemic remedies. Housing instability is disproportionately experienced by youth of color, creating another obstacle to their success in life. Among respondents in single adult households, Hispanic young adults were about twice as likely, and Black young adults almost three times as likely, as White young adults to have little or no confidence in their ability to pay next month’s rent. During the pandemic, Black young adults in single adult households faced especially high housing insecurity.The intersection of different marginalized identities compounds inequities among youth of color, with Black youth identifying as LGBTQ experiencing especially high rates of homelessness and adversity.

The challenge of youth homelessness and housing instability is more pronounced among BIPOC youth ages 13 to 25, with 11% of American Indian and Alaskan Indian youth experiencing homelessness during a year, 7% of Black youth, and 7% of Hispanic youth relative to 4% of White, non-Hispanic youth.Black and Hispanic young people spend longer periods of time homeless than their White, non-Hispanic counterparts, increasing their risk of re-entering homelessness after exiting.The risks of homelessness and housing instability are not equally shared among young people Black and Hispanic youth are at greatest risk.Analyzing these findings, we developed recommendations for the field to more effectively prevent and address homelessness among youth of color.

We reviewed six recent Chapin Hall reports about young people facing housing instability and compiled the findings that pertain to youth of color. It explores the racial disproportionality among youth experiencing homelessness and provides recommendations for improving services to advance racial equity. We discuss lessons learned from this approach to inform future research with youth and young adults and provide methodological insights that can help answer questions about the benefits of involving youth as co-researchers.This brief consolidates Chapin Hall research about race as a factor in the likelihood that teens and young adults will experience housing instability. A comparison of longitudinal study response rates before the peer interviewer approach was implemented and a year after implementation showed that 6-month rates increased from 11% to 55% and 12-month response rates increased from 14% to 51%. We examine the reasons for incorporating peer interviewers with a “hard to reach” youth population and how the peer interviewer approach was developed and supported through the collaborative partnership. The partnership was grounded in positive youth development and developmental evaluation frameworks, and incorporated a participatory research approach to involve peer interviewers as co-researchers in a formative evaluation of the service model. We describe our community-university partnership focused on the development, implementation, and evaluation a comprehensive service model that served young adults (ages 18–24) who were experiencing homelessness and had a child welfare history.

Moreover, engagement strategies need to be authentic and relevant to the lived experience of youth who have been involved with multiple service systems. Innovative programs and research are needed to address homelessness among youth who have been involved in the child welfare system.

Outcomes project chapin hall youth collaboratory