General Functioning and Service Use of Homeless and Housed Transition Aged Youth Who Are Parenting

Background/Purpose:

            Research indicates that between16% and 31% of female foster youth are pregnant or parenting (Gotbaum, 2005; Pecora et al., 2005). Female transition-age youth who are parenting (TAY-P) are susceptible to numerous negative outcomes including homelessness, lack of employment, low self-esteem, depression, and low levels of social support (Whitman et al., 2001). In the general population, children of teenage mothers are less likely to complete high school and more likely to live in poverty or to become teen parents themselves (SCAA, 2008).

            Although a growing body of research documents the experiences of TAY-P, there is a dearth of research on TAY-P who also experience homelessness. Homeless mothers in the general population have lower levels of education, are less likely to be currently employed, and are more likely to struggle with substance abuse than low-income housed mothers (DHHS, 2007). Given the high risk of negative outcomes conferred by teen motherhood and homelessness, it is important to identify the needs and characteristics of this vulnerable population.

The present study utilizes data from the National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) to document the number of female TAY-P who also experience homelessness and compare them to housed TAY-P in terms of general functioning and service use.

Methods:

            This study uses the third wave of general release data from the NYTD. The analysis included all female TAY-P, i.e. females who reported having a child at Wave 1, 2, or 3. Chi-squared tests were used to evaluate differences between homeless and housed TAY-P. Six indicators of general functioning – current school enrollment, employment status, employment skills, having a supportive adult, substance abuse referral, and incarceration – and six types of service use – social security, educational aid, public financial assistance, public food assistance, public housing assistance, and other financial support – were examined.

Results:

            One-third of TAY-P reported homelessness in the past two years. Homeless TAY-P were statistically more likely to be Native American (3.1% vs. 1.8%) and less likely to be Hispanic (15.3% vs. 21.6%) than housed TAY-P (p<.01). Homeless TAY-P were less likely to have completed high school (56.5% vs. 68.5%, p<.001), to be currently employed (18.1% vs. 23.4%, p<.01), and to currently have a supportive adult in their lives (83.9% vs. 91.7%, p<.001). They were more likely to have a substance abuse referral (17.7% vs. 10.5%, p<.001) or have been incarcerated (26.6% vs. 5.6%, p<.001) in the past two years. They were also more likely to be currently receiving services, namely public food assistance (59.6% vs. 48.8%, p<.05), public housing assistance (14.8% vs. 8.4%, p<.001), or other financial support (18.1% vs. 12.7%, p<.01).

Conclusion/Implications:

            One third of all TAY-P in this sample have experienced homelessness in the past 2 years. Although this population’s poorer general functioning suggests that they face more challenges than housed TAY-P, there is an opportunity for increased social worker intervention as this population utilizes services at a higher rate. It is, therefore, important to ensure that services address the unique needs of this vulnerable population.