Youth at the crossroads: participatory action research with homeless rural youth

This combined thesis/project focuses on youth homelessness, particularly in rural areas of the United States. Recent research in California has focused on the unique needs of homeless youth (Foster and Bernstein 2008), and additional research that focuses on youth in rural areas is needed (Robertson and Toro 1998). In addition to exploring and analyzing the literature on homelessness, homeless youth, and homelessness in rural areas, I present the recommendations and implementations in policy and legislation that have come out of the recent research, along with the results of a survey and focus group with homeless youth in Humboldt County, California. This thesis is presented in combination with the project component of the Practicing Sociology track. The project provides an exploration of the accessibility and availability of social services to homeless youth in Humboldt County. I look at the relationship between youth's experiences with the social services community and their willingness to seek out services. I also seek to pinpoint the specific structural barriers to accessing social services among homeless youth in Humboldt County. I explore these questions through a youth-designed, program evaluation of Youth Service Bureau's (YSB) RAVEN Project. RAVEN Project is a non-profit organization located in Eureka that serves runaway, homeless, low-income, and at-risk youth. The study uses mixed methodologies, including survey and focus group. This work is intended to be informative and useful for providers in Humboldt County and beyond that serve homeless populations, and runaway, homeless, and low-income youth in particular. I provide a comprehensive conceptual model of intersectional factors that I recommend should be considered by organizations and communities seeking to provide assistance to homeless populations. This model is meant to serve as a conceptual roadmap for developing successful programs that serve diverse homeless populations. I present these recommendations alongside my work with RAVEN Project through a participatory action and youth empowerment framework which highlights the strengths of homeless communities.