Primary Sources: Social Networks as the Context for Understanding Employment Services Utilization Among Homeless Youth

A study published in the Journal of Evaluation and Program Planning analyzed the degree to which homeless youths’ friends and acquaintances influence their use of employment services. The study found that homeless youth who received resources, such as money or food, from peers also living on the street were 86% less likely to use employment services, but those who received emotional support from peers living on the street were 6.4 times more likely to use employment services. The study also found that youth who reported receiving food, money, shelter, or emotional support from case workers were 2.9 times more likely to use employment services