Understanding Homeless Youth Gang Involvement through the Life History Calendar

Background: Homeless youth (HY) is a large and growing population with an estimated 1.6 million in the U.S. Additionally, youth gang membership and related negative outcomes continue to be a national problem. These two social issues intersect, as many homeless youths identify as being either a part of or affiliated with gangs. However, research is scarce when it comes to the experiences of these youths. The current study aims to explore these experiences, using in-depth qualitative methods.

Method: This study utilized the Life History Calendar (LHC) technique to explore various domains related to the experiences of gang-involved homeless youth. The LHC is a type of qualitative data collection method designed to gather information about the timing and sequencing of life course events. A purposive sample of 20 youths seeking homeless drop-in services in Los Angeles was interviewed during the fall of 2015. To identify eligible youths, a screener recruitment method was used and youths who disclosed that they are currently or were ever a gang member, or had close friends, family or romantic partners who were in a gang, were invited to participate. Grounded theory and open-coding techniques were used to analyze the data. The sample consisted of 7 females and 13 males, 50% African American, 25% white, 20% Latino and 5% Native American. Ages ranged from 19-25.  The majority of the sample identified as being former gang-members (n=8). However three youths were currently involved in a gang. The remaining sample was closely affiliated with gangs via their community, an intimate partner or biological sibling.

Results: The majority of the sample was involved in gangs or closely affiliated with them from a very young age. Most were exposed to gangs as a result of contextual factors such as their neighborhood or family members. Those who disclosed the gangs they identify with were frequently connected to subsets of gangs that had a known, historical presence in Los Angeles, such as the Latin Kings and Crips. Almost all youths had experienced or witnessed some form of gun violence. Many have been involved with the foster care system. A common theme for the reason of entering a gang was as a result of real or perceived lack of other forms of support, including family, housing, shelter, or friendship.  For almost all youths, homelessness was either a direct result of, or coincided with gang-involvement

Discussion: The intersection of gang involvement and homelessness is a much-overlooked social issue. Despite the variance in youths’ experiences, many common themes ran through the interviews. The results suggest that when considering youth gang involvement, service providers and policy makers must include the outcome of youth homelessness. Additionally, when considering youth homelessness, youths’ gang involvement, their exposure to violence and related trauma must be taken into account. Specifically, the social work discipline, which addresses intersections and complex human conditions, should be applied on micro and macro levels, while considering the contextual factors and their relation to the experiences of homeless youths who are gang involved.