The Hidden Homeless: Exploring the Impact of Housing Inequality on Young Adults

In March, Annie E. Casey Foundation released a report highlighting housing inequality, a disturbing yet pervasive issue impacting young people across America. In any given year, an estimated 3.5 million young adults ages 18 to 25 experience some form of homelessness — including sleeping in a car, on a couch (also known as couch surfing), and on the streets. Recent studies point to two significant predictors that place students at an elevated risk of homelessness: experience in the foster care system and a history of running away from home. 

According to national statistics, children from Black families are two to three times more likely to enter foster care than white youth, and are less likely to be adopted. Data also show that Black children and families are disproportionately represented at each stage or juncture in the system — mandatory reporting, investigation, removal, termination of parental rights, and out-of-home foster care placements. 

Upon turning 18, some youth disassociate entirely from the foster care system, having endured years of mistreatment, including physical, emotional, and psychological abuse. Through research focused on student experiences in higher education, I have encountered the narratives of many young adults grappling with “episodic homelessness,” a condition in which a person experiences periods of homelessness on and off, or has been homeless three or more times in the last year. 

Read the full article here.