Rethinking Aftercare: Experiences of Homeless Youth after Exiting a Transitional Living Program

Background and Purpose

Research in the area of youth homelessness has focused on identifying the characteristics and needs of the population, leaving a critical gap in our understanding of the usefulness of the current solutions being implemented. Transitional Living Programs (TLPs) are one of three core strategies executed by the federal government of the United States to address youth homelessness. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the impact of TLP services over time directly from the perspective of the youth who have participated in them. Four research questions guided the investigation: (1) What are the experiences of youth after leaving TLPs? (2) What are youth perceptions of the impact of TLPs on their lives? (3) How do youth view the usefulness of specific services offered by the TLP? (4) What is the relationship between the meaning youth assign to their experience over time and the attainment of indicators of stability regularly used in the field, such as sustained housing, stable employment, educational achievement and health?

Methods

In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 32 young people who exited a TLP located in a large metropolitan city between 1 and 11 years ago. A maximum variation sampling method was used to select participants who reflected the characteristics of youth served by the TLP. Participants ranged in age from 20 to 32 years old and were 59% female, 94% African American and 34% percent identified as Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual. Participants were also selected to represent a variety of reasons for exit from the program, exit destinations, time out of the program and length of stay. Recruitment methods included snowball sampling and the use of social media in order to locate youth who were no longer in contact with the TLP. A phenomenological approach to analysis was utilized in order to capture the depth and breadth of both what youth experienced and how they experienced it.

Results

Participants believed TLPs to be an essential part of our solution to youth homelessness; however, a substantial amount of incongruence was found between youth perception of the program’s effectiveness and their lived experience of housing, education and employment stability over time. Participants reported moving in and out of subsequent situations of instability and described a need for on-going support well after leaving the TLP.

Conclusions and Implications

The results of this study suggest a need for more comprehensive and sustained support for youth after they exit a TLP. Currently, required standards for aftercare for federally-funded TLPs can be satisfied by simply providing referrals to other assistance and/or offering exit counseling before a youth leaves the program. The findings presented indicate this to be greatly insufficient. Youth are leaving TLPs and reentering environments complicated by structural conditions such as poverty and racism. As a result, participants indicated a need and desire for a range of ongoing supports from the program no matter how much success they experienced during their stay or how long it had been since they left.