Young Adults in Los Angeles with Unstable Housing Face Challenges to Avoiding Becoming Chronically Homeless

Young adults in Los Angeles County who do not have stable housing typically lack education and employment, often have mental health struggles and may have had involvement with the criminal justice system, according to a new RAND report.

More than one-third of the people aged 18 to 25 surveyed by RAND researchers reported involvement with the foster care system, indicating there is a strong association between foster care and housing instability for transition age youth.

Despite these barriers, more than 95% of survey respondents expressed interest in becoming housed, more than 60% were not in school but planned to attend, and nearly one-half were unemployed but actively looking for work.

“While this group faces challenges finding support, it's encouraging that most of them are motivated to successfully transition and become stably housed,” said Sarah B. Hunter, the report's lead author and a senior behavioral scientist at RAND, a nonprofit research organization. “It's important to target this group for help as a strategy to reduce the number of people at risk of chronic homelessness.”

Although substantial investments have been made to address homelessness in Los Angeles County, the number of people experiencing homelessness has continued to grow over the past decade.

Researchers say that transition age youth who are 18 to 25 years old represent an important population of focus because resolving homelessness at an early age may prevent chronic homelessness and the consequences of living unsheltered, such as earlier mortality and increased morbidity.

The county's annual point-in-time count of unhoused residents found there were 3,718 transition aged young people experiencing homelessness in the region in 2023.

RAND researchers surveyed 399 transition age youth experiencing housing instability in Los Angeles County, with an emphasis on youth with foster care involvement. Participants were solicited from 18 youth-oriented shelters and transitional housing programs, 15 drop-in centers for young people, and 11 street venues where homeless transition age youth congregate.

Participants reported significant barriers to successfully transitioning to adulthood, including a lack of education and employment, with more than one-quarter having less than a high school diploma or equivalent. The median monthly income among the group was $450.

A serious mental health disorder was reported by 57% of survey participants and 20% reported their overall health as “fair” or “poor.”

Nearly one-third reported jail or probation experience as an adult and one-fifth reported experience with the juvenile justice system. One-quarter of participants reported having children, suggesting a high need for parenthood supports.

Researchers found increased risk factors for youth with involvement with the foster care system, including lower educational attainment, more involvement with the juvenile justice system, higher reports of serious mental illness and increased probability of parenthood. Despite exiting the foster care system through adoption, family reunification or placement with a legal guardian, many youth still became unstably housed.

“Despite increased investments over the past decade to support foster youth in Los Angeles County up to the age of 21, involvement with the foster care system is still strongly associated with housing instability,” Hunter said. “Connecting youth to traditional approaches to increasing stability and income, such as educational and employment supports, will help to promote successful transitions to adulthood.”

The report, “Understanding the Needs of Transition Age Youth Navigating the Foster Care and Housing Systems in Los Angeles County,” is available at www.rand.org.

Support for the project was provided by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. Other authors of the report are Joan S. Tucker, Jason M. Ward and Rick Garvey.

The RAND Social and Economic Well-Being division seeks to actively improve the health, and social and economic well-being of populations and communities throughout the world.