“Coming From the Place of Walking with the Youth—that Feeds Everything”: A Mixed Methods Case Study of a Runaway and Homeless Youth Organization

• Published in: Child & adolescent social work journal Vol. 34; no. 5; pp. 443 - 459
• Main Authors: Leonard, Noelle R., Freeman, Robert, Ritchie, Amanda S., Gwadz, Marya V., Tabac, Lara, Dickson, Victoria Vaughan, Cleland, Charles M., Bolas, James, Hirsh, Margo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.10.2017; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescent development; Autonomy; Basic needs; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Best practice; Case studies; Clinical Psychology; Convergence; Data; Homeless people; Mixed methods research; Organizational culture; Personality and Social Psychology; Psychology; Psychosocial factors; Runaways; Sociology; Vulnerability; Walking; Youth; Youth organizations; Runaway and homeless youth; Positive youth development; Setting quality
• ISSN: 0738-0151; 1573-2797
• DOI: 10.1007/s10560-016-0483-z

Organizations for runaway and homeless youth (RHY) provide essential services to highly vulnerable youth who have a wide variety of basic needs and complex psychosocial challenges. We present a mixed-methods case study of an RHY organization to identify the specific mechanisms and processes by the organization successfully promotes engagement and positive development of the youth they serve. We analyzed qualitative and quantitative data separately and then integrated these two strands of data. Our findings indicate a consistent convergence of responses across the data sources, in both the qualitative and quantitative strands, that consistently reflect the organization’s youth-centered approach. Primary among these policies and practices is the emphasis on building and maintaining empathetic relationships with youth, the promotion of youths’ autonomy, and an institutional culture of continuous evaluation of how the organization is meeting their mission to provide services that reflect best practices.