1. Rashida Crutchfield, MSW CSULB School of Social Work Faculty Doctoral Candidate in Higher Education Administration California State University, Long Beach November 7, 2011

2. Trained Social Worker Experience in community-based practice, advocacy, homeless youth services, and social work education Employed at a shelter for homeless youth CSULB School of Social Work Faculty Participated in similar research Community College Adjunct Faculty

3. Name Work affiliation and role What brings you to the room?

4. Homeless youth as a pathologized and voiceless group Research on homeless youth is limited The gap in literature Practice and policy Practice from a validation theory and strengths-based perspective

5. Homeless youth in college are invisible Shift of responsibility from school to students Research on homeless youth has pathologized them Deficit-focused research Gap of literature on homeless youth in college

6. Counters risk/deficit-based research of marginalized groups Reframing problematized behavior as strength Seeks strengths Strengths-Based Perspective Harper (2010); Saleebey (1996) Engagement of students and the institution’s active role Emphasis on recognition of students as valuable and capable Sees the students as experts of their experience Validation Theory Rendón (1994)

7. Homeless Youth Marginalize d Students in College Homeless Youth in College

8. Homeless Youth Demographic Factors People of color, M/F, LGBT, Foster youth Vulnerability, Symptomology, Risk & Resilience Academic Preparedness

9. Demographics 10,875 homeless youth, highly underestimated (particularly for youth) (LAHSA, 2007) Unsheltered youth more male than female, but more even in shelter More people of color LGBT community Foster youth

10. Vulnerability, symptomology, and risk Overlapping problems of substance abuse and psychological and physical challenges Instability, violence, and neglect Lack of social capital, face discrimination, stigma Resilience Academic Preparation Cognitively similar capabilities Limited access and support

12. Marginalized Students In College Student Social Capital & Retention Institutional Support Faculty and Staff

13. Comparing marginalized students to homeless youth Adaptation to the college environment Inspirational people as support Student Social Capital and Retention Institutional support – usually in the form of support services, but not for certain students Work study opportunities Faculty and staff have to be instrumental

14. Homeless Youth in College Lack of Financial Support Aid and support; Housing Social Capital/Social Exclusion & Resilience/Strengths

15. 47,204 Homeless youth in college HY like other marginalized students are meeting many demands Housing is available for foster youth, not homeless youth unless they have foster care history Lacking social capital, beyond their similar peers

16. Coping mechanisms are important for survival, but may counteract help in college There are services for FY that overlap and could be helpful for homeless youth The overall story is untold

17. YeseniaDavid 19-year-old enrolled in community college Living doubled-up with her aunt and sisters with two other families in one home Working part-time at a local restaurant 21-year-old enrolled in his third year at a state college Residing in a transitional living homeless shelter Utilizing financial aid for school and living expenses Given the literature and your experience with homeless children and youth: What challenges, barriers and strengths might exist for these youth in college? What supports should or could be made available to them?

18. Rashida Crutchfield, MSW Doctoral Candidate School of Social Work Faculty California State University, Long Beach (562) 985-7029 rcrutchf@csulb.edu