Youth Homelessness Prevention: A Data Driven Approach
Annually, more than 4 million youth and young adults experience unaccompanied homelessness. Youth homelessness is experienced disproportionately by young people who identify as Black, Indigenous, or Latino/a; as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer/questioning (LGBTQ+); or who hold intersectional marginalized identities.
In recent years, federal, state, and local governments have begun funding new and innovative programs designed to prevent youth homelessness before it occurs. To date, there has been limited evidence on youth homelessness prevention opportunities. The purpose of this project is to fill that gap by examining five years of data collected by the National Runaway Safeline (NRS) from young people across the countr yand those who care about them. Then, the project will build the evidence base on what opportunities exist, and for whom, and to translate those findings in actionable programmatic and policy recommendations.
NRS is the federally funded communication system for youth experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Each year, they serve over 100,000 young people between the ages of 10 and 23 through their crisis intervention services and other educational resources. Their helpline permits individuals to reach out through phone calls, a message service, live texting, forums, and emails to connect with frontline staff who offer trauma-informed, nonjudgmental, non-sectarian, and non-directive supports. Through a connection to the helpline, individuals can obtain crisis intervention services, referrals, and other forms of assistance. NRS connects with young people and those who care about them across the U.S. and U.S. territories 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
AIR's Partnership with NRS
NRS has partnered with AIR to lead the research study using NRS’s crisis intervention services data collected between 2019 and 2023. AIR researchers will explore questions related to who reaches out to NRS based on their housing status, what key presenting problems young people (or others) report, and what types or referrals they receive. Researchers will explore how these associations vary by demographic characteristics, geographic location, and time.
In addition to leading this study, AIR researchers will work closely with NRS to translate and disseminate research findings and to engage practitioners and policy makers on the implications of the study’s findings. Project partners will then use the findings to inform a public awareness campaign that highlights the importance of youth homelessness as a public health issue. AIR researchers will also provide training and technical assistance to NRS on operational strategies and service delivery improvements. Throughout the course of this project, project partners will rely on active engagement with NRS’s Youth Advisory Board to help inform the direction and authenticity of this work.
