Graduation Year
2016
Document Type
Thesis
Degree
Ed.S.
Degree Name
Education Specialist (Ed.S.)
Degree Granting Department
Psychological and Social Foundations
Major Professor
Linda Raffaele Mendez, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Deirdre Cobb-Roberts, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Jennifer Wolgemuth, Ph.D.
Keywords
homeless youth; unaccompanied youth; reflections from homeless youth; interventions for homeless youth; community-based interventions; thematic analysis
Abstract
Although interventions that take an individualized, holistic approach to service delivery have been recommended for homeless youth, few such interventions have been described in the literature. This study sought to examine a unique, multi-faceted, community-based intervention developed in 2009 in Tampa, FL to provide services to homeless adolescents who are no longer living in the custody of a parent or guardian (i.e. unaccompanied youth). The intervention, titled Starting Right, Now (SRN), has served over 100 youth to date. The program provides residential, educational, recreational, and professional development services, as well as mental and physical health care. Each youth also receives a trained mentor who is in frequent contact with the youth. Other individualized services are provided as needed. Although SRN has been in existence for six years, the program has only been evaluated using measures such as changes in GPA, absentee rates, etc. In the current study, individual interviews with nine program participants who had been in SRN for at least one year were analyzed to explore how the youth themselves perceived that their lives had been impacted. Thematic analysis of interviews provided an opportunity to examine common themes among participants. Results showed that despite encountering some challenges, participants perceived that they had been lifted to higher educational and personal levels through obtainment of resources; adult and peer support systems; renewed trust in adults; increased hope; improved mental health; and a heightened sense of community. Practical implications for practice and research are discussed.
Scholar Commons Citation
Randle, Camille Ashley, "Lifted: A Thematic Analysis of Homeless Youths’ Reflections on Their Lives Since Beginning A Multi-Faceted, Community-Based Intervention Called Starting Right, Now" (2016). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/6363
