Sunday, 16 January 2005 - 8:45 AM

This presentation is part of: Homeless Youth

Employment Experiences of Homeless Young Adults: Are They Different for Youth With a History of Foster Care?

Purpose: There are approximately 350,000 young people between 18 and 24 years old who are homeless each year in the United States; a portion of this population was placed in foster care as a minor. Many studies have examined the outcomes of youth aging out of foster care, but none have examined the experiences of those homeless on the streets. In addition, very little is known about homeless youth and the services they receive. The purpose of this study is to examine the baseline information and outcomes following an employment training program for homeless young adults. A comparison is made between those with a history of foster care (FC) and those without (NFC). Methods: This quasi-experimental study employed a cohort, cross-sectional design. Specifically, the study sought to compare demographic variables, mental health history, substance use, employment history, educational attainment, sexual orientation and outcomes after an employment training program of FC (n=104) and NFC (n=147). The employment training program was a 3-week long job preparation class run through a community-based organization serving homeless youth. Employment status and hourly wage outcomes were examined within three months post-graduation. Chi-square, t-test, and backward stepwise logistical regression analyses were used to conduct the statistical tests. Results: At baseline, the FC had significantly more youth of African-American decent and significantly less Caucasian youth than the NFC. Additionally, the FC were significantly more likely to have current mental health issues and substance abuse issues than the NFC. In terms of outcomes, approximately 60% of participants from each group found employment within three months following the training and the mean hourly wage of all participants post-training was $9.27 ($9.55 FC and $8.88 NFC). Follow-up comparisons found that having a mental health issue most significantly predicted whether a youth found employment following the employment training program, even while taking into consideration foster care history and all other control variables. Also, older youth and Hispanic youth with a foster care history had the highest hourly wages after controlling for all other variables. Implications for practice: This study illustrates that employment training programs may be an effective intervention for homeless young adults (those with and without a history of foster care), as they have few resources. Additionally, this study raises the issue of whether there are appropriate mental health services for homeless young adult and foster care populations. It is imperative that there be proper assessment and diagnostic techniques, as well as adequate services available for these highly disenfranchised youth. Lastly, the baseline data show that homeless FC youth may be more at risk for substance use issues than homeless NFC. In terms of practice, it may be important to know whether these youth are being adequately assessed for substance use while in foster care. Lastly, homeless Hispanic FC may have better employment outcomes than Hispanic NFC which may lead us to believe that these youth are receiving needed services while in care, which could be replicated with youth from other ethnicities in foster care.

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