Research

The 2019 San Jose Homeless Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey samples 203 unique homeless or unstably housed youth (aged 18-26) in order to compile a comprehensive understanding of the behaviors, demographics, experiences and sources of resiliency for this group.

The 2017 San Jose Homeless Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey samples 208 unique homeless or unstably housed youth (aged 18-26) in order to compile a comprehensive understanding of the behaviors, demographics, experiences and sources of resiliency for this group.

Attached is a report written by Bill Wilson Center’s research and quality control department on Peacock Commons our innovative supportive housing project which we have been operating for more than four years. We receive a number of inquiries every month from interested nonprofit providers regarding our housing model. We wrote the paper to share our “lessons learned” with other homeless youth services providers who may be considering developing permanent supportive housing.

Every two years in January, communities across the country conduct comprehensive counts of their homeless populations to gain a better understanding of the individuals who are currently experiencing homelessness and to apply for federal funding for homeless programs. The 2015 Santa Clara County Point-in Time Count was a community-wide effort conducted on January 27 and 28, 2015. In the weeks following the street count, a survey was administered to 952 unsheltered and sheltered homeless individuals, in order to profile their experiences and characteristics.

Over 93,000 children are currently locked up in juvenile correctional facilities around the country. Research shows that while up to 34 percent of children in the United States have experienced at least one traumatic event, between 75 and 93 percent of youth entering the juvenile justice system annually in this country are estimated to have experienced some degree of trauma.

For the estimated 200,000 California minors and the numerous 18 to 24 year olds experiencing homelessness each year, many have histories of family conflict, including abuse, neglect, domestic violence, and parental substance abuse. Once homeless, youth on the streets fall prey to substance abuse, mental illness, and victimization.

The Foster Youth Housing Initiative was designed to help former foster youth obtain and maintain permanent housing by funding programs that effect change in three different ways: direct services for youth, housing capacity for this population, and systems change. Together, these three tracks represent a strategy that focused on getting currently homeless youth into housing, making more housing available for future emancipating youth, and creating systems change to eliminate homelessness for former foster youth. This report represents the initiative's final evaluation report and encompasses results and outcomes of the initiative.

Because older youth face a unique set of challenges and risks as they move into adulthood, it is important to identify intervention strategies that can enhance the development and success of these individuals in domains such as employment, independent living, drug and alcohol use, pregnancy, parenting, life skills, mental health, release from the foster care system, homelessness, and literacy. This synthesis examines the role that programs designed to serve older youth can play in promoting positive development and subsequent self-sufficiency in adulthood.

The vast majority of youth who do not make a successful transition fall within one or more of the following four groups of 14-17 year olds: 1) those who do not complete high school, 2) youth deeply involved in the juvenile justice systems, 3) young, unmarried mothers, and 4) adolescents who experience foster placement. Thus, adolescents in any of these statuses should be a major focal point of public policy. There needs to be substantial improvement in the current systems that work with these youth while they are still minors, with the goal of reconnecting them to school and social support to the maximum degree possible. This support should continue until they have made a successful transition into young adulthood.