Digital Transitions: Geographies of Youth Experiencing Homelessness, Education, Technology

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Abstract

Youth experiencing homelessness are active users of digital technologies. There is little published research that synthesizes the scholarship on how youth experiencing homeless use technology, especially in relationship to their educational experiences. This study provides a systematic review of the research on how youth experiencing homelessness use technology to communicate, find resources, and construct and maintain their intersectional identities. The paper presents a conceptual model that illustrates how those with housing insecurity experience and navigate their world through digital technologies and draws on research on technology interventions used with homeless youth from fields including education, library sciences, and social work. The results of the review are framed withing a discussion of suggested policies and practices.

Author

• Rick J. Voithofer, The Ohio State University