Courtney Cronley

Unraveling the social construction of homelessness

This article provides a historical and critical analysis of homelessness in the United States. It argues that societal understanding of homelessness stems from a process of social construction in which, over time, differing groups have framed the definition and debate. The main groups influencing interpretations of homelessness are those ascribing to individual and the structural interpretations of social problems. Individual interpretations suggest that homelessness is the result of personal deficiencies, such as substance abuse and social disaffiliation, whereas structural interpretations suggest that it is the result of systemic factors, such as lack of affordable housing and employment opportunities. Social construction has influenced scholarship as well by dictating which questions researchers ask and which evidence gets disseminated. The article concludes by encouraging scholars to reframe the policy debate in a way that more accurately reflects the empirical reality of homelessness.

Racial differences in the consequences of childhood maltreatment for adolescent and young adult depression, heavy drinking, and violence.

PURPOSE This study examined racial differences in the consequences of childhood maltreatment for depression, heavy drinking, and violence during adolescence and young adulthood among black and white young men. METHODS Data were obtained from the Pittsburgh Youth Study, a prospective longitudinal study of urban males (N = 971, 56% black). Childhood maltreatment was defined as substantiated physical or sexual abuse, physical neglect, emotional maltreatment, or moral/legal/educational maltreatment, with the first referral before 12 years of age. Self-reports of depressive symptoms and heavy drinking (consuming more than six drinks on a single occasion) and official, parent, and self-reports of violent offending were assessed between 12 and 17 years of age (adolescence) and at 24/25 years of age (young adulthood). Regression analyses were conducted to examine childhood maltreatment and race, as well as maltreatment-by-race interactions, as predictors of the three outcomes. RESULTS Prevalence of childhood maltreatment was higher for black than for white boys; however, there were no racial differences in timing, type, severity, and chronicity of maltreatment. When socioeconomic status and cohort were controlled, childhood maltreatment significantly predicted depressive symptoms and violence in adolescence but none of the outcomes in young adulthood. Race was a significant predictor of heavy drinking and violence during adolescence, and of all three outcomes in young adulthood. No significant race-by-maltreatment interaction effects were found. CONCLUSIONS Childhood maltreatment has similar negative consequences for black and white male youth during adolescence. Extending intervention efforts through adolescence is important to alleviate these problems among victims.

Homeless people who are animal caretakers: A comparative study

Data from a Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) were used to compare homeless people who report caring for animals with homeless people who do not report caring for animals, based on demographic variables and stated reasons for homelessness. Among homeless clients (N = 4,100; M age = 39 yr., SD = 13.2), 5.5% reported animal caretaking; demographic differences between caretaking and not caretaking homeless clients and life factors related to homelessness were most often associated with animal caretaking. 41% of participants (n = 1,664) were female, and 59% (n = 2,436) were male. Findings suggest that first-time homeless, Euro-American women who were homeless due to domestic violence were the most likely to say they were caring for animals. The use of such an information system could aid in identifying this subpopulation and coordinating services for animal care.

Social Justice Manifest: A University–Community Partnership to Promote the Individual Right to Housing

This article examines an ongoing university–community relationship that fuses innovative technology delivery, university-outreach research, and social work practice/research education into a unique, collaborative intervention to reduce homelessness. In doing so, we apply a social justice framework to homelessness, arguing that housing is a right rather than a privilege. In the case study, a university, in partnership with a local homeless coalition, maintains a management information system to collect and analyze real-time data on homelessness in the community. The overarching social justice intention of this partnership is to improve client outcomes for homeless individuals by producing community-based research to inform policy decisions for governmental and organizational partners.

Exploring the Intersection of Neighborhood Racial and Economic Composition and Individual Race on Substance Use Among Male Adolescents

This article examines how Blacks and Whites living in neighborhoods with divergent racial and income profiles differed in early onset (by age 14 years) and adolescent lifetime prevalence (by age 18 years) of substance use, with longitudinal data from 473 high-risk boys (58% Black). A latent profile analysis identified four neighborhood classes: Black, lower-income; racially mixed, middle-income; White, middle-income; and White, upper-income. Bivariate analyses showed that Blacks living in racially mixed, middle-income neighborhoods reported the lowest rates of tobacco and marijuana use. Whites living in White, upper-income neighborhoods reported higher substance use prevalence, particularly marijuana. Findings suggest that substance use prevention efforts are critical for Whites in upper-income communities.

Effects of Homelessness and Child Maltreatment on the Likelihood of Engaging in Property and Violent Crime During Adulthood

The current study employs data from the U.S. National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (N = 10,818; 56% female; 21% African American) to test how experiencing homelessness through emerging adulthood and child maltreatment predict adult property crime and violent crime. Unlike many published studies on homelessness, we used propensity score matching to correct for selection bias between homeless and nonhomeless individuals. Logistic regression models were run to predict violent and property crime in adulthood, controlling for child maltreatment. Participants who experienced homelessness by age 26 were 1.6 times more likely to commit violent crime in adulthood and almost 30% more likely to commit property crime. Those who were victims of child maltreatment were 15 times more likely to commit property crime, but no more likely to commit violent crime. Findings show that comparing statistically equivalent groups, homelessness through emerging adulthood significantly predicted adult criminality while child maltreatment showed more variable results. Greater prevention efforts aimed at children and adolescents at high risk of experiencing homelessness, as well as more intensive outreach services to homeless youth, may moderate exposure and reduce reliance on criminal survival behaviors.

Studies of resilience among youth experiencing homelessness: A systematic review

ABSTRACT This article systematically reviews studies exploring resilience among youth experiencing homelessness. We searched eight databases, and 21 articles fit the inclusion criteria and represented four methodologies: qualitative (n = 7, 33.3%), survey and secondary data analysis (n = 8, 38.1%), quantitative (n = 4, 19.1%), and mixed-method (n = 2, 9.5%) designs. Studies indicate that youth experiencing homelessness rely on informal social networks for survival, and that spirituality, mental health, and creativity are associated with enhanced coping. More experimental and intervention studies are necessary to support evidence-based resilience practices. Additionally, researchers need to exercise more self-awareness about how stereotypical pejorative paradigms may constrain innovative, strengths-based scholarship.

A comparative analysis of service learning in social work and criminal justice education

The current study sought input from a national sample of social work (SW) and criminal justice (CJ) educators (N = 276) to explore characteristics of those who use service learning in the two disciplines, differences in the conceptions of and beliefs about service learning, and distinctions in how it is used and implemented. This study offers the first explicitly cross-disciplinary comparison of service learning within two related, but distinct disciplines. The results indicated that SW educators, compared to their CJ peers, used service learning more frequently and perceived fewer barriers to using it. Additionally, a higher percentage of SW faculty members reported using service learning at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, suggesting that SW educators may be more likely to see the value of service learning across education levels. Among those who reported that they have used service learning, few differences were found between the two disciplines.

Service-learning Use in Criminal Justice Education

Using an exploratory, cross-sectional, survey design (N = 142), the current study explored the use of service learning in criminal justice education by examining how faculty members perceive the pedagogy, how often they implement it, and when they do so, how they implement it. The majority of respondents reported using service learning occasionally or regularly. The perception that service learning has a positive impact on student outcomes was generally supported, even among faculty who report never using service learning. Instructor unfamiliarity with the community and service learning being unfeasible were cited as the most common barriers, especially by those that never use service learning. The results suggest that universities and administrative leadership may foster greater use of service learning by reducing these barriers rather than extolling the already well-established benefits of service learning.

Childhood Maltreatment and Child Protective Services Involvement Among the Commercially Sexually Exploited: A Comparison of Women Who Enter as Juveniles or as Adults

Abstract A risk for commercial sexual exploitation is childhood maltreatment. It’s unknown whether juveniles in commercial sexual exploitation experience more childhood maltreatment than adults or how involved child protective services is in investigating maltreatment, a focus of this study. Women (N = 96) who sold sex commercially completed a cross-sectional questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, t tests, chi-squares, and odds ratios were used to examine differences in background, childhood maltreatment, and child protective services involvement by juvenile or adult entry. Although 93% of participants experienced child maltreatment, juveniles had increased odds of parent/caregiver sexual abuse, being left alone, being kicked out, and running away from a parent/caregiver. There were no differences in cumulative childhood maltreatment resulting in an investigation or removal, indicating that juveniles not investigated or removed by child protective services had as much childhood maltreatment as juveniles who were investigated or removed by child protective services. Results highlight the need for child welfare staff to recognize childhood maltreatment as risks for commercial sexual exploitation.