Fostering positive youth and staff development: Understanding the roles and experiences of the afterschool workforce.

Informed by strengths-based perspectives and systems theory of social settings, this mixed-methods study focuses on the experiences of the afterschool workforce employed by a large, urban community-based organization. Through directed content analysis of semi-structured individual and small-group interviews with afterschool instructors (ASI), this study sheds light on the roles, experiences, challenges, and supports of ASIs. Results demonstrate that ASIs navigate multiple roles in the afterschool setting, acknowledge the challenges of youth and families, experience several sources of professional support through the people and resources in afterschool, and articulate long-term professional goals related to their current work. In addition, concurrently collected quantitative survey and administrative data about ASIs' overall work experiences and satisfaction are analyzed to examine the extent to which they confirm and complement the qualitative results. Implications for practice and policy are discussed to highlight how these findings may be used to strengthen the youth-serving workforce in urban communities.

Partnering to Leverage Multiple Data Sources: Preliminary Findings from a Supportive Housing Impact Study.

This article presents preliminary findings from an impact study that drew upon administrative data collected by city agencies and data collected by a supportive housing program for young adults who are aging out of foster care, homeless, or at risk of homelessness. Participation in the program was associated with a reduction in shelter use and jail stays during the two years after program entry. The study demonstrates the benefits of collaboration and the possibilities of using administrative data from multiple public agencies to evaluate program impacts on young adult outcomes.

Homeless near a thousand homes: outcomes of homeless youth in a crisis shelter.

Clients who received crisis services at a homeless shelter for transition-aged youth were recruited for a study to describe the youth served, to track outcomes of care, and to examine factors associated with differing outcomes. Participants were 202 men and women who completed a battery of interviews and self-report measures at intake and at 3 follow-up points. Youth served had experienced high levels of adversity and trauma and typically had poor educational and vocational preparation. A multidisciplinary array of services was provided, and overall, participants showed significant improvement from intake to discharge and in the 6 months after discharge. Background, service, and psychological factors did not predict housing outcomes. Better vocational outcome was associated with more recent work experience. Results point to the need for providers of services to the homeless to be aware of the distinct needs and characteristics of transition-aged youth.