Social Work Commons^™

Transition To Adulthood For Homeless Adolescents, William G. Tierney, Jarrett T. Gupton, Ronald E. Hallett

Benerd College Faculty Books and Book Chapters

Education plays a critical role in how adolescents mature into adults. A vulnerable, and often forgotten, sub-population of the poor is homeless youth, for whom lack of a stable or adequate residence creates a unique set of educational barriers. The Center for Higher Education Policy Analysis (CHEPA) spent 18 months documenting the experiences of homeless adolescents in Los Angeles, deriving data from 123 interviews with homeless adolescents between the ages of 14 and 19, and an additional 45 interviews with shelter staff, social workers, parents, teachers, and school district administrators. Follow-up interviews were conducted with 30 of the youth to …