Poster #23 - Characteristics of Youth and Young Adults in the Youth At-Risk of Homelessness Summative Evaluation

• In Event: Friday Poster Reception

Abstract

As states implement different approaches to serving youth at risk of homelessness, understanding who is reached by these programs and who the programs are effective for is critical for measuring policy impacts. To expand the evidence base on what works to prevent homelessness among youth and young adults who have been involved in the child welfare system, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services launched the Youth At-Risk of Homelessness (YARH) multiphase grant program. As part of the third phase, ACF partnered with Mathematica to conduct a rigorous summative evaluation of Colorado’s Pathways to Success (Pathways) service model, comparing it with business-as-usual services provided by counties in Colorado through Chafee funding (comparison).

Using survey and state administrative data, we analyzed key demographic characteristics and child welfare involvement of the 495 youth and young adults receiving Pathways or comparison program services. We found that most youth and young adults in the evaluation are 18 years old or older and about half were in foster care at the time of enrollment. We also examined key characteristics that have been shown to protect against homelessness as well as those associated with increased risk of homelessness, and found that most youth and young adults were in school, employed, or both at enrollment (protective factors), while many had a history of housing instability or substance use prior to enrollment (risk factors).

Beyond descriptive insights, these youth and young adult characteristics have important implications for future analyses in the YARH evaluation. They provide a basis for determining whether the Pathways and comparison groups are equivalent at baseline, which is “necessary (according to HHS evidence standards) for estimating credible program impacts” (Cole & Agodini, 2014). Additionally, they help us identify key subgroups in our study population that are important for understanding how effective programs such as Pathways are for different groups of participants and under what conditions (Breck & Wakar, 2021).

Differences in participant characteristics should be considered when comparing youth-serving interventions across policy contexts. By documenting who is served under Colorado’s Pathways to Success model and comparison programs, we establish important context for understanding how variation in policy affects who participates in these programs and how their impacts should be interpreted in both state-specific and cross-state research. The methods we use in these analyses can be adapted by state and local agencies to understand participant characteristics and strengthen the interpretation of findings in their own evaluations.

Breck, A., & Wakar, B. (2021). Methods, challenges, and best practices for conducting subgroup analysis (OPRE Report 2021-17). Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Cole, R., & Agodini, R. (2014). Baseline inequivalence and matching. (Evaluation Technical Assistance Brief No. 4). Office of Adolescent Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Authors

• Jeani Choe, Mathematica
  Presenting Author

• Menbere Shiferaw, Mathematica
  Non-Presenting Co-Author

• Lanae Davis, Center for Policy Research
  Non-Presenting Co-Author

• Max Gross, University of California - Los Angeles
  Non-Presenting Co-Author