Provider Experiences Working with Highly Mobile Homeless Youth and Young Adults

Background and Purpose: Past research has explored the mobility of homeless youth and young adults, including the frequency with which they move from one location to another and the varied reasons for that movement. Homeless youth and young adults are fairly mobile, often moving between locations to cope with stressful life circumstances, seek services or shelter, pursue education or job opportunities, and maintain social ties. However, little is known about the service and policy implications of this mobility, and provider perspectives have been largely absent from the literature. This study builds on previous work by exploring provider experiences working with highly mobile homeless youth, including effective strategies, challenges encountered, and views for how services and policies might be changed to better meet the needs of this population.

Methods: Study data were collected through in-depth semi-structured qualitative interviews with homeless service providers in New York’s Greater Capital Region (N=10). Interview questions were open-ended and addressed explicit experiences working with highly mobile youth (roughly age 13-25) and general perspectives of how mobility impacts service provision. Participants were recruited through a convenience sampling method, and eligibility was based on having experience working with highly mobile homeless youth. Interviews were transcribed and then coded in Atlas.ti, using a process of first cycle and second cycle coding to reveal relevant themes.

Results: Participants described working with highly mobile homeless youth as an experience that requires a great deal of flexibility. This flexibility came up in the diverse identities providers hold (e.g. trustworthy adult, community educator, advocate), and how they view the importance of these roles when working with highly mobile youth and responding to their needs on a case by case basis. Additionally, participants described how mobility can make engaging youth in services difficult. This challenge spans a continuum of engagement, including: initial outreach and connection; keeping youth connected to services and shelter; and maintaining ongoing support services to keep youth stable once housed. In terms of how services and policies could be changed to better meet the needs of highly mobile youth, participants expressed the need for more services across counties, more long term transitional living options, and the importance of considering the unique needs of different age groups within the broad category of youth.

Conclusions and Implications: Provider experiences suggest that homeless youth with a history of being highly mobile can challenge traditional services and policies. Local policies and a lack of adequate programming can make it difficult for providers and service systems to respond with flexible and customizable supports. Findings suggest a need to increase collaboration, develop alternative programming, and advocate for youth rights and needs. Future research should explore innovative strategies for keeping highly mobile youth engaged in services, such as collaborative outreach methods, mobile services, and long-term residential supports. Additionally, research should explore how service systems and policy restrictions create involuntary mobility for homeless youth.