Slides from Baltimore Innovation Week event: Homelessness, Youth, & Technology

1. HOMELESSNESS,
YOUTH, & TECHNOLOGY
#biwHYT
#biw13

2. RESEARCH A Quick Look

3. A CONTRAST
Early 2000s
•The Digital Divide
•Use of Internet affected by
• Age
• Disability status
• Ethnicity
• Income Level
• Education
Now
•Young adults experiencing
homelessness are using
technology
•Use is less about
recreation; more about
keeping in touch

4. THE HOMELESS USE
FACEBOOK?! (2013)
Guadagno, Rosanna E., David E. Pollio, and Nicole L.
Muscanell. "The Homeless Use Facebook?!
Similiarities of Social Network Use between
College Students and Homeless Young
Adults." Computers in Human Behavior 29 (2013):
86-89. Online.

5. SOCIAL NETWORK SITE
MEMBERSHIP
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Member of at least one SNS? On Facebook? On MySpace?
Undergrad Homeless

6. SOCIAL NETWORK SITE USE
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
To stay in touch
w/friends
To stay in touch
w/relatives
For dating For education or
career
Undergrad Homeless

7. HOW OFTEN DO YOU …?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Send private
messages
Post public
messages
Post pictures Post
notes/blog
Search for
other users
Send friend
requests
Play games
Undergrad Homeless
1 is not very often; 7 is very often

8. UCLA AIDS INSTITUTE (2011)
•80% of surveyed youth experiencing homelessness used
at least one social networking site every week
•Youth experiencing homelessness who used social
networking sites were more likely to have been tested for
STIs and to be better informed about preventing such
infections and HIV.
•Use of social networking sites by youth experiencing
homelessness also correlated with increase in risky
sexual behaviors.
http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/social-networking-sites-can-lead-191717.aspx

9. CELL PHONE USE AMONG
HOMELESS YOUTH (2011)
•62% own a cell phone
• 51% use it to stay connected to friends
• 41% use it to stay connect to their parents
• 36% use the phone to call current or potential employers
•Researcher earlier found that 85% find a way online,
either though the phone, libraries or youth agencies.
(See http://sowkweb.usc.edu/faculty/eric-rice)
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11524-011-9624-z

10. EXAMPLES & IDEAS A Few Thoughts to
Get Us Started

11. MEDIA

12. SHELTR

13. INVISIBLE PEOPLE

14. HOMELESS YOUTH
HANDBOOK

15. SOCIAL NETWORK SITES

16. ILLINOIS LEGAL AID ONLINE

17. MOBILE ALERTS

18. “BIG DATA”

19. WHAT ELSE?