This Research-to-Impact brief is the first in a series by Chapin Hall's Voices of Youth Count on understanding and addressing youth homelessness. "Missed Opportunities: National Estimates" highlights results from a national survey on unaccompanied youth homelessness in America. The study captures youth homelessness broadly, including…

This Research-to-Impact brief is the sixth in a series by Chapin Hall's Voices of Youth Count on understanding and addressing youth homelessness. This brief draws exclusively on the in-depth interview (IDI) component from Voices of Youth Count. The 215 young people that were interviewed across five diverse U.S. counties shared stories of…

Entering the fall 2020 term, higher education was reeling from the coronavirus pandemic. Enrollment was down--particularly among students most at risk of basic needs insecurity; fewer students had completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA); and college retention rates had dropped. Students and faculty were stressed and anxious.…

Youth homelessness in the United States is a serious challenge. Recent national research by Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago found concerning rates of homelessness among adolescents and young adults ages 13-25. An estimated one in 30 adolescents (ages 13-17) and nearly one in 10 young adults (ages 18-25) experienced some form of…

The Student Financial Wellness Survey (SFWS) provides a snapshot of student financial wellbeing during the fall of 2021. Over 700,000 students were surveyed from 104 schools in 25 states and 63,751 students responded. During this period Federal stimulus funding helped stabilize finances for many students, but many still struggled to make ends…

To measure the outcomes of youth transitioning out of foster care, states are required to administer the National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) survey to cohorts of youth at ages 17, 19, and 21. With three waves of data collection completed with youth in the first cohort, researchers are beginning to better understand the experiences of…

Objectives: Although Housing First (HF) is a popular evidence-based intervention for persons experiencing homelessness and mental illness, research exploring its sustainability over time is scant. This mixed methods study captures practitioners' perspectives on key shifts in implementation of Housing First in a large urban center, and factors…

Background: Substance use, particularly injection drug use, continues to fuel the HIV/HCV (hepatitis C virus) epidemics in San Juan, Puerto Rico (PR). Aim: This article examines individual and sociostructural factors that affect HIV/HCV risk among people who use drugs (PWUD) living with or at risk for HIV/HCV in San Juan, PR. Findings were used to…

This Research-to-Impact brief is the fifth in a series by Chapin Hall's Voices of Youth Count on understanding and addressing youth homelessness. The brief estimates that nearly 4.2 million youth and young adults in America experienced some form of homelessness during a 12-month period. It highlights research related to the specific experiences of…

Each year, effective federal programs give parents the power to provide their children with affordable healthcare, nutritious food, stable housing, and early childhood education. These programs lift millions of children out of poverty, but also have long-term benefits--children in families who accessed these programs have higher educational…

Social work plays a key role in engaging with clients and communities directly affected by housing insecurity and homelessness, and advocating for the right to safe and affordable housing. This article describes methodologies of the Point-in-Time Count and Homeless Management Information Systems and proposes strategies for integrating additional…

Homelessness is a reality for many families with young children in our country. In 2015, a third of all people who stayed in a shelter were in families with children and nearly half of children served by HUD-funded emergency/transitional housing providers in 2015 were age five or younger (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD),…

Purpose: This randomized controlled trial compared the efficacy between the Social Enterprise Intervention (SEI) and Individual Placement and Support (IPS) with homeless youth with mental illness to assess their impact on nonvocational outcomes. Method: Seventy-two homeless youth were recruited from one agency and randomized to the SEI (n = 36) or…

Detroit has a long and complicated history with housing instability, and obtaining safe and stable housing is a significant challenge, particularly for low-income residents. For many renters, housing quality is poor, rents are high, and eviction is common. In 2017, 16% of households with children in Detroit reported being either evicted or forced…

In San Francisco, where both housing costs and income inequality continue to grow, the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) is increasingly focused on supporting homeless children and families. To inform this work, SFUSD partnered with Stanford University's Graduate School of Education (GSE) and John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their…