Usability of a Co-Designed, Cross-System Housing Stability Program for Juvenile Courts

Background: Court-involved youth experience disproportionate rates of homelessness. While system contact is a critical intervening point, juvenile courts do not typically offer housing services. Referral to community-based services is likely the only avenue for meeting housing needs, and lack of referral can represent a significant drop-off along the care continuum (Wasserman et al., 2021). Several factors complicate whether court staff make referrals to community-based services, including high workload demands and perceptions that referral-making is not relevant to their role. Housing Stability for Youth in Courts (HSYNC) is a cross-system program designed to improve the identification and referral of court-involved youth (and their families) facing housing instability to community-based services. After risk/need is identified, a housing navigator supports court staff in making referrals while working directly with youth and families to access services. The model was developed collaboratively with juvenile court staff, community agencies, and other system stakeholders to ensure feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness.

Purpose: A key determinant of implementation and client success is usability, or the extent to which end-users can implement an innovation to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction (Lyon et al., 2021). This study utilized a multimethod approach to evaluate the usability of HSYNC from the perspective of juvenile probation counselors (JPCs) as one group of end-users.

Methods: JPCs from four juvenile court jurisdictions in one northwestern state piloted the HSYNC program. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected via a survey (n=15) and semi-structured interviews (n=22). The survey consisted of demographic questions and usability measures from the Implementation Strategy Usability Scale (ISUS: Lyon et al., 2021); interviews captured JPCs perceptions regarding their experiences implementing the program. Survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and interview data were coded and analyzed following a thematic analysis approach.

Results: Survey results indicated acceptable usability for HSYNC with a mean ISUS score of 78%, which surpasses the usability quality benchmark (Bangor et al., 2008). Usability ratings did not significantly differ based on JPC characteristics. Themes from the interviews corroborated survey findings, and highlighted implementation successes and challenges. Themes included: 1) services offered were value-added; 2) referral process was user-friendly; 3) program was well-integrated with current probation practices; 4) the collaborative approach used by the navigator facilitated program success; 5) challenges with risk identification served as a barrier to program uptake; and 6) workload demands and youths’ non-housing needs interfered with program utilization.

Conclusions and Implications: The persistent intersection of housing instability and youth court involvement calls for better coordination between juvenile courts and community agencies focused on housing needs. From the perspective of end-users, this study demonstrated that HSYNC offers a promising cross-systems approach for addressing housing instability. HSYNC also represents a unique example of the benefits of engaging in collaborative design processes to develop cross-system service innovations. Interviews with JPCs also highlighted implementation barriers and suggestions for improvement, yielding design implications for program adaptations geared toward ensuring the model is feasible, acceptable, and effective for end-users. Implications and next steps will be discussed.