Effective Intervention for Homeless Youth

As previously discussed, homelessness among youth in the Houston / Harris County area is a growing population with far reaching consequences for this group. They can be identified as a cultural group as they identify with others who have shared experiences and commonalities. Some of the serious struggles, identified in part I, homeless youth face are the increased probability of becoming victimized on the streets, higher risk of being infected with a STD or HIV, becoming pregnant, entering the criminal justice system, not having access to medical treatment, employment, housing, or education and job training. Without resiliency, the bleak outlook on life has the power to destroy their self-efficacy leaving them with low self-esteem. Both tangible, as well as, intangible resources have been identified to assist youth facing homelessness. Likewise, many studies have been conducted regarding intervention plans and their effectiveness that show great promise. Specifically, this intervention plan will look at a strengths based method, an out-reach model, and an alternative approach to formulate an intervention method.

Until recently there has not been much research on the plight of homelessness among youth. Therefore, much work done in this area has been by trial and error while attempting to gauge which intervention methods youth are receptive to and deemed successful. In terms of repairing the efficacy and stimulating self-esteem and self –image, the strengths based methods provides a great deal of promise. A strengths based intervention method involves empowering youth to focus on their strengths and talents thereby gaining improved autonomy and self-efficacy. Manon Krabbenborg, Sandra N Boersma and Judith Wolf (2013), s...

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...l health services” (Ferguson, 2007, p. 106). While the end goal of the alternative social development approach is supposed to offer an improved quality of life through economic development, this approach also aims to keep those homeless youth from disengaging from their services out of boredom. The social development approach also works best when incorporated with traditional methods of case management, counseling, motivational intervention, and cognitive intervention just to name a few.

References

Ferguson, K. M. (2007). Implementing a Social Enterprise Intervention with Homeless, Street-Living Youths in Los Angeles. Social Work, 52(2), 103-112

Krabbenborg, M. M., Boersma, S. N., & Wolf, J. M. (2013). A strengths based method for homeless youth: Effectiveness and fidelity of Houvast. BMC Public Health, 13(1), 1-10. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-13-359