This is the first of three posts about young people are who are experiencing homelessness. Each one highlights resources for planners and front line workers to use. The second part (Youth Homelessness Part 2: Ask The Experts) will report advice from experts — young people who have experience of homelessness themselves. The third (Youth Homelessness Part 3: Switching Gears) will talk about introducing effective ways for service providers to support young people who are leaving homelessness.
It is often said, “young people are our future.” But there were plenty of signs going into COVID that society was ignoring this important idea. In countries like the United States and Canada, young people have been saddled with debt after obtaining higher education. The prospect of obtaining work at a reasonable pay level is limited. These and other factors are tipping young people into homelessness.
And while there is tremendous media focus on COVID and a vaccine right now, we shouldn’t lose sight of planning the path to carry us forward in our collective work to end homelessness. We need to be thinking about the structures and systems we want our society to be built on in the future. Young people need to be part of that plan.
Fortunately, researchers were investigating homelessness among young people well before COVID arrived. This means there is a good body of evidence to help in planning a recovery that includes ending homelessness for young people as a priority.
This first post explores the results of a study to investigate rural homelessness among young people. The findings may come as a surprise.
Chapin Hall is a research team based at the University of Chicago. It specializes in research about young people.1 Chapin Hall completed an in depth investigation of homelessness among young people in rural areas before the pandemic.2 Going into the study, available numbers showed that homelessness was less prevalent in rural areas. The study results showed that the levels of youth homelessness in rural areas of the United States were virtually the same as in urban areas.
The in-depth research uncovered differences between urban and rural areas, which had contributed to the idea that homelessness was primarily an urban phenomenon. Young people are more likely to be couch surfing or living outside in rural areas, where there are fewer shelters and support services. Although it focuses on the United States, the Chapin Hall report provides useful data and recommendations for all people who are concerned about homelessness among young people in rural areas.
For example, employment and education are both important factors that can contribute to homelessness among young people. As well, COVID has emphasized the value of access to high-speed internet as well as the reality that people living in rural areas do not have access to the same level of service as people who live in cities. Service planners and service providers in rural areas may need to adapt program responses to overcome this technical barrier.
The Chapin Hall report and our COVID experience show that there are resources for program planners, policy makers, decision makers and front line workers in rural areas to plan for and begin a recovery that includes homes for young people. There is no need to wait. Read more: Rural Counties Lack Services for Youth Experiencing Homelessness
Footnotes
- For other posts discussing research by Chapin Hall, try: Many Youth Who Leave Foster Care Become Homeless. What To Do?, and Lack Of Affordable Housing Constrains Housing First Programs
- The in-depth investigation added to the standard point-in-time counts by surveying people who live in rural areas to find out about their experiences of homelessness. The investigation also included interviews with young people who were experiencing homelessness in rural areas to find out where they were staying and the circumstances that led to their becoming homeless.
