Poster #94 - Preventing Young Adult Homelessness Among Students at Risk

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Abstract

Introduction:

Young adults experiencing homelessness have often already overcome many challenges in life, such as foster care, family conflict, and housing instability.  Homeless prevention for young adults requires a multifaceted and upstream approach to address these specific challenges.  Building upon a previous study by New York City’s Center for Innovation through Data Intelligence (CIDI) and the University of Pennsylvania which identified risk factors for imminent student homelessness, this study looks upstream to identify characteristics and experiences of NYC Public Schools (NYCPS) students that are associated with experiencing homelessness as a young adult between the ages of 18-21. 

Method: This study leverages administrative data to follow a cohort of 446,094 NYCPS students born between 1999 and 2002 who attended at least one year of middle school or high school. Demographics, educational experiences, child welfare involvement, and prior homelessness are described and compared between all students and those students who experienced young adult homelessness. A univariate logistic regression was conducted to identify which factors among all students were associated with the increased likelihood of experiencing homelessness as a young adult. Based on the findings of the univariate logistic regression, three distinct groups of students were identified as most likely to experience young adult homelessness. The characteristics and experiences of these groups were further examined.

Results/Implications:

This study finds that high school students experiencing homelessness, foster care, or receiving child welfare prevention services were most likely to experience homelessness as a young adult, with students receiving ACS family prevention services being 23 times more likely to experience homelessness as young adults, compared to those who did not receive these services. Educational factors such as chronic absenteeism, 9th grade repetition, and transferring high schools mid-year, as well as demographic factors such as being female, Black or Hispanic/Latina/o/x were also associated with an increased risk of young adult homelessness.  

ACS and/or DHS involvement do not determine young adult homelessness. Instead, this association underscores the precarious life circumstances and challenges that youth experience prior, during, and after their family’s involvement with homeless or child welfare services. Although young adults experiencing homelessness demonstrate remarkable resilience in overcoming familial strain, instability, and disruptions to education, it is imperative that both family and structural supports are available for youth, their families, and their communities. Specifically, youth with these prior experiences will benefit from a range of holistic interventions—economic, social, and emotional supports—through multi-agency collaboration and accessible service delivery that matches their needs at critical times during their transition to young adulthood. These efforts must aim at upstream prevention of young adult homelessness and provide support to youth transitioning into adulthood. The expansion of promising existing strategies, the creation of new strategies, and targeted resource allocation provide avenues for a comprehensive approach to addressing these important needs.

Author

• Jessica Sell, Center for Innovation through Data Intelligence
  Presenting Author