This week’s infographic is from Rock Trust, an Edinburgh, UK-based organization that educates and supports homeless and at risk youth to enable them to build the skills required to make a positive and healthy transition to adulthood. The infographic, based Rock Trust’s Beyond Homelessness report, demonstrates the positive impact both formal and informal relationships can have for young people.
The Beyond Homelessness report studied the everyday experiences of youth over a three-year period. The study found that the social networks directly impact a youth’s resiliency to homelessness, wellbeing and need for formal support while homeless. Access to informal supports, such as family members or friends, were proven to help youth become more resilient and feel less isolated, leading to an increase in their overall wellbeing. When youth were homeless, there was a decrease in the amount of contact with informal supports. As a result, youth would depend on formal supports such as individuals from organizations or agencies, who could provide help or assistance through homeless services or programs.
Youth who were homeless were highly dependent on formal support networks to help with housing issues, physical health, depression and for general advice. In many cases youth were equally as likely to approach formal or informal networks for support. There was a balanced distribution of sources of informal and formal support concerning wellbeing, addictions and relationship issues; however, there was a large number of those interviewed who did not know where they would go to for help on a range of issues.
The area where youth felt they would like more support were additional monies (48%), housing (44%), legal matters (30%), and mental health (26%). Creating stronger relationships with family members and friends, or with personal feelings were one of the least areas needing additional support (11%).
In a follow-up interview, the key skills interviewees felt they had developed were confidence, self-esteem, overcoming addictions, reducing their negative networks, better self-awareness, better understanding of relationships, patience, money awareness, socializing/opening up, help to pick oneself up/keep going, and life skills such as cooking/cleaning/budgeting. Of those interviewed, 85% felt that there had been an improvement in their wellbeing, 78% felt that they had been able to make good use of the support offered and 93% felt more able to support themselves compared to year prior.
The Beyond Homelessness report aimed to act as a resource for those working within the homelessness sector to develop an understanding and awareness into the integral role social networks can play in developing paths out of homelessness.
