Session: Unequal Opportunity: Homelessness in Emerging Adulthood (Society for Social Work and Research 22nd Annual Conference - Achieving Equal Opportunity, Equity, and Justice)

Emerging adulthood (ages 18-24) is a critical and unique period in human development. Developmental theories suggest that people in this age group are making critical choices about relationships, education, and employment, with long-lasting impacts on their life course trajectories.

The intersection of emerging adulthood with different forms of marginalization and oppression remains a topic ripe for further research. In particular, emerging adults who experience homelessness are a unique and under-researched population. In the homelessness literature, young adults are often invisible, included either in broad categories of “homeless youth” or in larger studies of the homeless adult population. Little is known about how aspirations typically prioritized in emerging adulthood in the general population are experienced in the context of the instability inherent in homelessness.

In addition to homeless emerging adults' daily struggles to locate food and shelter, this population reckons with a striking inequality of opportunity. For example, many homeless emerging adults encounter difficulty completing GEDs or pursuing a post-secondary education, thus limiting their future earning potential. Even among college students, experiences of homelessness and food insecurity are not unusual. Prior research suggests these issues affect upwards of 20% of the college student population, putting these students at risk of adverse health and safety outcomes as well as at a disadvantage in the classroom.

This symposium will highlight research on homelessness in emerging adulthood, in order to build a knowledgebase that can be used to inform policy and services. Drawing on diverse samples from geographic areas ranging from Washington D.C. to Anchorage, Alaska, the studies in this symposium address the needs, goals, and aspirations of this population, attending to the context of homelessness as well as to the developmental period of emerging adulthood. The findings of these studies have implications for understanding the depth of inequality experienced by homeless emerging adults and can inform policies and programs to help remedy such inequities. The symposium's Discussant is a seasoned social work researcher and educator whose work focuses on vulnerable youth populations. The Discussant will synthesize themes across the presentations, emphasizing how the research included in this symposium helps to address the Grand Challenges of achieving equal opportunity and justice, ending homelessness, and reducing extreme economic inequality.

Paper 1 explores the living situations and coping strategies used by homeless emerging adults, highlighting their resilience as well as the resources they need to enhance stability.

Paper 2 discusses findings from a Photovoice project with homeless emerging adults, articulating themes of boredom, stereotyping, and barriers that young adults encounter as they pursue their goals.

Paper 3 presents results of a large study of the prevalence of food and housing insecurity among students in the California State University system, and how these adversities affect students' educational experiences.

Paper 4 shares survey findings regarding the prevalence of homelessness, housing insecurity, and food insecurity among university students in Alaska.

Paper 5 examines the housing, employment, and educational goals of formerly homeless youth in emerging adulthood and the support networks they utilize in pursuing their goals.