Predictors of Housing Trajectories Among Young Adults Experiencing Homelessness in Los Angeles

Abstract

Experiencing homelessness during young adulthood is associated with negative health outcomes and understanding housing trajectories of young adults experiencing homelessness may aid in the development of evidence-based public health programs designed to serve this at-risk age group. In the present study, the authors examined baseline predictors of 24-month trajectories of housing stability and unsheltered housing among a sample of 271 young adults aged 18 to 25 recruited from drop-in centers in Los Angeles. In multivariate models, the authors found that identifying as multi-racial/other and better friendship quality at baseline were associated with less steep increases in the likelihood of stable housing over time. Being employed at baseline was associated with a less steep decrease in the probability of being unsheltered over time, while illicit drug use days associated with a steeper decrease in the probability of being unsheltered over time. Continued research is needed to establish important factors determining young adults’ long-term housing trajectories in the effort to promote greater access and engagement with housing services.