Addressing Disparities in Education and Employment Outcomes for Homeless Young Adults

Through a participatory approach, the project aims to understand the barriers young people experiencing homelessness face in achieving their education and employment goals.

The 'Our Voices' project sought to address the challenges faced by young people experiencing homelessness in accessing education and employment. The project involved nine co-creators, aged 18-26, who had first-hand experience with homelessness. Collaborating with the principal investigator, the co-creators developed an interview schedule to address the research questions. They received training in qualitative research methods, interviewing skills, and research ethics before conducting interviews with each other and other young people.

The research team analysed the data by creating collaborative artworks and engaging in related discussions to identify themes. Based on the findings, the team formulated recommendations to improve and support the lives of young people experiencing homelessness. 

Preliminary findings include:

• Parents in a family unit act as a buffer for young people experiencing homelessness but can also contribute to their isolation, as most service-based support is targeted at the parents.
• Many individuals expressed gratitude for the support received from councils, government, and services. However, they reported being unaware of available support services and suggested better coordination and communication among these services.
• Young people felt they lacked guidance on education and career paths tailored to their unique skills and talents, leading to narrowed opportunities.
• Challenges in relocating schools or enduring lengthy commutes while experiencing homelessness added to the strain on young people living in temporary accommodation.
• Despite feeling shame and keeping their homelessness a secret, young people acknowledged that their experiences had equipped them with strengths and skills for life.

Quotes from project participants and service providers highlighted the positive impact of the research on the young people and the desire to further utilise the skills developed through the project. 

“I think what you guys have done with this… should be like a blueprint for a lot of research and projects…My participants held a lot of shame because they weren’t talking to their friends about their current situation, I feel like it was a breath of fresh air for them to come and talk to me…they wanted to speak to people who have been through homelessness. Because I guess it validates their experience and it makes them feel like it’s okay” – Project Co-creator

“The young people have been buzzing about the research and staff have noticed a change in them since completing the research. I have heard a lot from the staff that the young people who were co-creators have a lot more confidence, and both Centrepoint and Havering want to utilise this change and provide further opportunities to develop the skills you gave them.” – Homelessness Service Provider

The project has generated a substantial amount of rich data, which will be developed into a comprehensive report and academic paper.

There is a large body of rich data produced by the project to be developed into a report and academic paper.