Experiences of Police Harassment Among Young Adults Experiencing Homelessness

Objective:

Police harassment is a form of structural violence disproportionately affecting groups with racial, ethnic, gender and sexual minoritized identities and includes patterns of harmful interactions such as unwarranted stops, searches, and intimidation. Prior research shows that young adults experiencing homelessness (YAEH), particularly (BIPOC) and (LGBTQ+) unhoused young adults report higher levels of discrimination and police harassment in their everyday lives. Police harassment is a particularly pernicious type of discrimination, that can be defined as the improper conduct and abuse of power by law enforcement, often involving persistent or unlawful targeting of individuals without a lawful basis, such as a criminal investigation or crime prevention. Police harassment has been shown to disproportionally impact communities of color and LGBTQ+ communities. Despite the high numbers of YAEH from LGBTQ+ and communities of color, no work has explicitly examined police harassment among YAEH. This study examines the prevalence of YAEH reports of police harassment and identifies which YAEH report the most incidences. Our second model asks if this has happened since becoming homeless to understand the amount and which YAEH experience this unjust power dynamic.

Methods

A convenience sample of 575 YAEH ages 18-26 recruited from drop-in centers in Los Angeles, CA and St. Louis, MO. Computer-assisted, researcher-administered surveys were conducted November 2023 to April 2025. Data were analyzed in STATA using logistic regression. Covariates included race/ethnicity (Black, Latine, Mixed Race, other POC vs. White), gender (male, gender non-conforming GNC vs. female), and sexual identity (LGBQ+ vs. heterosexual). System involvement was measured by foster care and arrest history. Homelessness factors included unsheltered status and experiencing homelessness for one or more years. The outcome variable asked whether YAEH had ever been “unfairly targeted or investigated by police”, with a follow-up question asking if the harassment occurred “since becoming homeless”, measured in model 2 with N=281.

Findings

YAEH with arrest history (OR=2.5, 95%CI: 1.74,3.61), Mixed Race identity (OR=2.3, 95%CI: 1.13,4.84) and in Los Angeles, than in St. Louis (OR=1.82, 95%CI: 1.16,2.9), were all significantly associated with greater odds of reporting police harassment. Elevated odds for police harassment were found among Black YAEH (OR=1.64%, 95%CI: 0.85,3.14), YAEH living unsheltered (OR=1.32, 95%CI: 0.87,1.99), and YAEH with time homeless of one year+ (OR=1.29, 95%CI: 0.89,1.89).

Model 2 showed previously arrested YAEH (OR=2.18, 95%CI: 1.22,3.9) and those with more time homeless (OR=1.75, 95%CI: 0.97,3.16) had greater odds of police harassment. Unsheltered YAEH showed higher odds of police harassment (OR=1.63, 95%CI: 0.86,3.12).

Conclusion

Findings underscore how police harassment reinforces unjust systemic inequities faced by YAEH. Harassment by law enforcement can exacerbate existing mental health challenges and deter young people from accessing critical help from police when exposed to violence and exploitation on the streets. Police harassment creates a harmful cycle in which the very systems meant to support youth become sources of trauma and exclusion. Addressing police harassment is a pressing public health priority to ensure that YAEH have the opportunity to heal, thrive, and access the care and stability all young people deserve going forward in their lives.