The Racial Disparities Between Homeless Youth

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Nikki Neudecker
Gary Dick

Abstract

By Nikki Neudecker, Social Work


Advisor: Gary Dick



Presentation ID: 132


Abstract: Homelessness is a problem that disproportionately affects Blacks/African Americans not just in Cincinnati, but in the United States. Overall, the purpose of this study is to find factors that influence Black youth homelessness and identify potential interventions to reduce homelessness recidivism within the Black population. Data for the study comes from Mecum House, a homeless shelter for youth ages 10-17, in Cincinnati, OH, in the years 2019-2021. Data that was collected include the demographics of youth who stay at Mecum House, recidivism rates, the reason why the youth was brought to Mecum House, and where youth were discharged to. Results show that Mecum House serves a disproportionate rate of Black/African American youth compared to population percentages in Ohio and America. Further, data shows that Black/African American youth are more likely to return to the shelter, that they are more likely to be brought to the shelter due to police involvement, and that they are in custody of the state more often. From these results, further research should be done to explore why these disparities exist and what interventions can be applied to help reduce these disparities between Black/African American youth who are homeless.

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Category: Social (In)Justice