Parenting and Homeless: Profiles of Young Adult Mothers and Fathers in Unstable Housing Situations
Young adults who are pregnant or parents are a vulnerable subgroup of the homeless population, yet there is limited research about their specific service needs. To fill this gap, we used data from a survey of homeless and unstably housed young adults, ages 18–24, collected over 4 weeks in Houston, Texas, to examine the characteristics, risk factors, and protective factors of homeless parents (n = 109) compared to other homeless young adults (n = 243), then differences between mothers (n = 61) and fathers (n = 48). Unique risk and protective profiles for homeless parents were identified, as well as differences between mothers and fathers. Implications for service delivery targeted to the unique needs of young adult homeless mothers and fathers are discussed.
This article is the second of two parts. The first one was published in the issue no 2 of this same journal. The preseni study uses the dependency index and the youth ratio to describe the aging process both at regional and municipal levels. Our data show a yet moderate aging process in (he region. with an uneven distribution throughout the different municipalities.