"I Know Where the Rest of My Life Is Going": The Resilience and Strengths of Homeless Young Adults

Background: There is very limited research about the lives of homeless young adults who are reticent to engage in services. Further analysis of the resilience of this hidden population is necessary to meet social work's grand challenges, such as ensuring healthy development for all youth and ending homelessness. Young adults have specific developmental considerations that are not fully represented by national datasets on homeless populations. This study helps to address that gap with an in-depth analysis of homeless young adults’ strengths and resilience in the interest of addressing systemic issues.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a diverse sample of 30 homeless young adults (ages 18-24) in a Northeastern city, recruited from settings including a homeless youth drop-in center, the street, and word-of-mouth. The sample was 53% male and included African American (50%), White (33%), Mixed Race (17%) and Latino/a (13%) youth. Participants primarily identified as heterosexual (77%). In terms of housing, 60% reported couch-surfing as their main housing strategy, 20% self-identified as migratory homeless “travelers” and the remaining 20% lived either in places not meant for human habitation, overnight shelters, or mixed locations. Two researchers independently coded the transcribed interviews in Atlas.ti, using a grounded theory approach and constant comparative method to identify key themes related to resilience. A member check-in with six participants confirmed and further enhanced the analysis of themes.

Results: Despite the challenges that participants faced, which included meeting survival needs and high rates of individual, family, and community-level trauma, the interviews suggested multiple dimensions of homeless young adults’ resilience. The analysis yielded two major categories of resilience strategies: attitudinal and behavioral. Sub-themes included under attitudinal resilience were: (1) perceptions of homelessness as temporary, (2) framing homelessness as spiritual or personal growth, (3) externalization of stigma and oppression, and (4) high levels of motivation to attain stable housing. Sub-themes of behavioral resilience were: (5) creating support systems, (6) maintaining personal health, (7) harm reduction and avoiding substances, and (8) using music and creative expression as emotional outlets. Each theme was supported by quotations from multiple participants and validated by the member-checking process.

Conclusions: Findings indicate a need for strengths-based and youth-only services. Many young adults want services that foster a sense of independence and freedom, separate from services for older homeless adults. Young adults also have coping strategies that social workers can use as forms of engagement. Listening to music and creative expression are healthy ways many young people cope with stress that could be integrated into services. Providing visiting hours, milieu spaces, or drop-in centers would support their positive peer relationships, and affirm the value placed on these networks. By recognizing the attitudinal and behavioral dimensions of homeless emerging adults’ resilience and the resources this population is utilizing instead of traditional homeless services, social workers can work to reshape the service system to capitalize on these strengths. Directions for further research include studying the experiences of young adults that utilize strength-based and youth-only services in locations where they are available.