Searching For Stability Amid Residential Instability: Exploring the Role of Resilience and Social Capital in Higher Education Attainment for Homeless Adolescent Youth

This study explores the experiences of homeless adolescent youth and the factors that allowed them to achieve positive educational outcomes through a strengths-based resilience and social capital framework. This study aims to 1) understand how students who have been subject to homelessness and attend highly-selective colleges perceive the impact of residential instability on their educational experiences during adolescence and 2) uncover the strategies and resources homeless adolescents may employ to successfully achieve access to higher education.
The sample population is comprised of Stanford students who have experienced homelessness in their adolescence, as they represent extremely at-risk, yet resilient youth that were still able to gain admission to a selective university that primarily admits and serves students from backgrounds of extreme wealth, education, and stability. Using a qualitative approach, data were collected through semi-structured in-person interviews that were conducted with a final sample of 9 undergraduate Stanford students who have experienced homelessness in their adolescence. Through evaluating the narratives and perceptions of formerly homeless students that were able to successfully gain admission to a selective university, I found that educational motivation, sense of stability, and positive social capital are key factors in a homeless youth’s ability to achieve positive educational outcomes. The stability and agency found in their education pushed these students to find non-traditional ways to access resources and knowledge through their social relationships, which afforded them the ability to navigate their educational paths, giving them an advantage over other residentially insecure students who remained vulnerable to the risks associated with homelessness. In addition to highlighting the need to support homeless youth in their educational goals and importance of increasing access to higher education, these findings demonstrated a continued need of academic, mental, and social support for formerly homeless youth when they enter college.