Service Utilization Patterns of Homeless Youth

Few studies exist on the types of characteristics associated with service utilization (e.g., shelters, food programs) among homeless youth in the U.S. Services are important, however, because without food and shelter, numerous homeless youth resort to trading sex in order to meet their daily survival needs. Access to physical and mental health services gives homeless youth more of an opportunity to integrate into mainstream society than they would otherwise have. To address this gap in our understanding, my study examines what traits (e.g. age, race, abuse history) correlate with the use of shelters, food programs, street outreach, counseling, STD/STI testing, and HIV testing among homeless youth. The Theory of Reasoned Action is used as an ideological framework in conjunction with theoretical constructs of risk, need, and prior service exposure. Data were obtained from the Social Network and Homeless Youth Project (SNHYP), a sample of 249 Midwestern homeless youth ages 14 to 21, which used trained interviewers to conduct structured interviews with youth. Respondents were interviewed in both shelters and on the street over a period of approximately one year. My findings revealed that homeless youth's service usage varied across gender, sexual orientation, age, having recently held a job, and having ever been physically or sexually abused, in addition to other characteristics. Conversely, service use was not associated with social network size or subjective norms (i.e. attitudes of peers, such as acceptance of condom use) of youths' social networks. By examining these areas, my study builds on previous research on homeless youth and lays the framework for future research on service utilization by homeless youth. iv Acknowledgements Many people have contributed to this work through their support, friendship, and advice, but none so much as Dr. Kimberly A. Tyler. Dr. Tyler, thank you for your endless counsel and honesty. Thank you for knowing when to show me what to do as well as when to step back and allow me to figure it out. I have grown and learned from this process in very positive ways; I owe you my gratitude. Similarly, I am in debt to Dr. Lisa A. Kort-Butler. Dr. K-B, thank you for your willingness to step in during the final phases of my thesis completion. Your insight and questions truly focused me, and your advising style made the transition very smooth and easy. I couldn't have asked for better advisers. Department of Sociology as well as the …