Housing pathways of young people who have left out-of-home state care
journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-17, 10:50authored byNatalier, K, Johnson, G
As a group, young people leaving care experience multiple forms of disadvantage, including high rates of homelessness and insecure housing. Researchers have described the associated housing and life trajectories in terms of pathways but few have explicitly referenced the metaphor to the interrelationship of structure and agency that is core to Clapham’s housing pathways approach. In this paper we draw on semi-structured interviews with 77 young people who have left state care in the last five years. We identify two distinct pathways young people travel when they leave care: a smooth and a volatile pathway. Young people on both pathways face similar structural disadvantages but are differentiated in terms of their experiences in care, their ability to plan and control their transition into independent living, the degree to which supportive social networks are available and the constraints they face accessing and maintaining housing. We argue social networks are a particularly important element of the housing pathways of young care leavers, shaping, and being shaped by, their socio-economic position and engagement with institutions. They may offer important material and emotional resources that can support appropriate housing but they can also promote housing instability and entrench disadvantage.
History
Publication title
Housing, Theory and Society
Volume
29
Pagination
75-91
ISSN
1403-6096
Department/School
School of Social Sciences
Publisher
Routledge
Place of publication
London
Rights statement
Copyright 2011 IBF, The Institute for Housing and Urban Research