Service Utilization Among Female Homeless Youth: The Role of Social Network Characteristics

Objective: Understanding what influences shelter service utilization among female homeless youth is an understudied topic. Yet, existing literature suggests that shelter service utilization can be a protective factor for this vulnerable population. This study aims to examine the relationship between shelter service utilization and social network characteristics. More specifically, this study focuses on the experience of female homeless youth and examines relationships among network structure (proportion of females), function (type of support exchanged) and individual behavior (service utilization). Understanding factors that are associated with service utilization among female homeless youth in L.A. County can inform outreach strategies and service delivery practices for this population.

Methods: This study uses a subsample of the YouthNet dataset collected at two drop-in centers in Los Angeles County between October 2011 and February 2012. The sample consists of 106 female homeless youth collected during Wave 1. This study examines age, race/ethnicity, and three social network variables: proportion of females in the network, proportion of alters who provide emotional support, and proportion of alters who provide instrumental support. Emotional support is operationalized as seeking advice from and/or confiding in alters in the network.  Instrumental support is operationalized as willingness to ask an alter to borrow $100 if needed. The outcome variable of interest is shelter services utilization. This variable describes how often a participant has gone to a place to find housing or shelter in the last month. Response options range from “every day/almost every day” to “not at all this month”. To examine these relationships, an OLS regression analysis was performed.

Results: Over one-third of the women in this sample are Black/African-American and the average age is 21 years. Additionally, 44% of participants reported no shelter services utilization. Overall, the OLS model explains 16% of the variance in shelter services utilization. Among the social network variables of interest, there is a significant positive association between proportion of alters who provide emotional support and shelter services utilization (b= 1.28, p<.10, one-tailed test). Additionally, there is a significant negative association between being White (b= -1.65, p<.01, two-tailed test) and Latina (b= -1.28, p<.05, two-tailed test) and shelter services utilization.

Discussion: These data support the hypothesized positive relationship between the proportion of emotional support provided by network alters and service utilization. This finding may indicate a potential network resource and point of intervention for service providers who serve female homeless youth. Results also indicate a significant negative association between being White and Latina and shelter services utilization. These findings may illustrate a critical disconnect between service delivery practices and the needs or characteristics of different racial/ethnic groups in this female homeless youth population. Future research can examine the associations between race/ethnicity, perceived discrimination in relation to service delivery systems, risk behavior patterns, and types of services used by female homeless youth. Additional research can also include a more detailed assessment of social network characteristics, including type of support exchanged.