1. EUROPEAN RESEARCH CONFERENCE
Housing First. What’s Second?
Berlin, 20th September 2013
Youth Pathways out of Homelessness
Marianne Quirouette
For Dr. Sean Kidd, Dr Jeff Karabanow & Dr Jean Hughes
& the Exiting Street Life Study Group
2. EUROPEAN RESEARCH CONFERENCE
Housing First. What’s Second?
Berlin, 20th September 2013
Presentation Plan
Context
Research Question
Methods
Three Phase Model
i) Initial Turning Point
ii) Basic Stability -housing
-supports
iii) What’s Next? -identity and purpose
-legal issues
Conclusion
3. EUROPEAN RESEARCH CONFERENCE
Housing First. What’s Second?
Berlin, 20th September 2013
Context
Youth become homeless because of family dysfunction, abuse,
trauma, poverty, addiction, mental and physical illness, and
service sector inadequacies (Hagan & McCarthy1997;
Karabanow 2004; 2006; 2008; Kidd, 2004; 2006; MacLean et al.,
1999; Molnar et al., 1998).
Research is finally turning to how youth navigate pathways
out of homelessness to find and maintain housing and stability
(Mayock, Sullivan and Corr 2011; Karabanow 2008)
4. EUROPEAN RESEARCH CONFERENCE
Housing First. What’s Second?
Berlin, 20th September 2013
Research Question
What are the lived experiences of homeless youth as
they negotiate the individual, socio-cultural, and
economic tensions of transitioning out of homeless and
away from street contexts and cultures?
5. EUROPEAN RESEARCH CONFERENCE
Housing First. What’s Second?
Berlin, 20th September 2013
Methods
Sample includes 51 ‘previously homeless youth’, , mean age is 21
21 participants from a smaller city (Halifax) and 30 from the largest
city in Canada (Toronto)
Longitudinal study design: 4 interviews and questionnaires each
Purposeful snowball sampling, recruiting through youth organization
6. EUROPEAN RESEARCH CONFERENCE
Housing First. What’s Second?
Berlin, 20th September 2013
Broad 3 phase model
1. INITIAL TURNING POINT
2. BASIC STABILITY
3. ‘WHAT'S NEXT‘?
LASTING
SOCIO-ECONOMIC
INCLUSION
MATURITY, IDENTITY, SELF
CARE, EMPLOYMENT,
EDUCATION, LEGAL
7. EUROPEAN RESEARCH CONFERENCE
Housing First. What’s Second?
Berlin, 20th September 2013
Initial turning points
Getting ‘sick of it’
Ex: Too much drama, tired
Renewed support from family or partner
Ex: New lover, re-connecting with family
Traumatic event
Ex: Death of street friend, OD, victimization
Child care responsibilities
Ex: Discovering pregnancy, regaining custody
9. EUROPEAN RESEARCH CONFERENCE
Housing First. What’s Second?
Berlin, 20th September 2013
Basic Stability - Supports
Material and emotional supports are key to most successful transitions
and come from:
1) FAMILY,
2) FRIENDS, LOVERS, &
3) SERVICE PROVIDERS
11. EUROPEAN RESEARCH CONFERENCE
Housing First. What’s Second?
Berlin, 20th September 2013
What’s Next?… - Legal Issues
Criminalized status and banishment - tickets and fines
Harm reduction spaces?
Support for youth with active court cases
Custody as disruption to housing stability
Criminal record checks and housing screening
12. EUROPEAN RESEARCH CONFERENCE
Housing First. What’s Second?
Berlin, 20th September 2013
Conclusions (for now)
One year is not enough to capture this process
Supports needed for people with less mainstream orientations
Housing essential to stability but is insufficient on its own