Background: Young adults experiencing homelessness (YAEH) experience more stressors compared to housed peers, yet little is known about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on these youth. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how YAEH perceived the pandemic's impact on their well-being and coping.Methods: YAEH were recruited from those participating in an HIV prevention study.Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysis was guided by Lazarus and Folkman's transactional theory of stress and coping.Results: Four major themes were identified from interviews with 40 youth: (1) ongoing harms, (2) COVID-19 as a stressor, (3) mental health impacts, and (4) coping strategies. Participants described unmet basic needs, emotions of frustration and anxiety, and several coping strategies including substance use. Conclusion:Many YAEH reported experiencing continued challenges that were compounded by the stressors related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Special considerations are needed to address pandemic-related exacerbations of mental health symptoms and substance use among YAEH.

Background. Few interventions leverage technology to mitigate HIV risks in youth experiencing homelessness (YEH). This study assesses the acceptability and impacts of an app-based just-in-time adaptive intervention for HIV prevention from the YEH perspective. Methods. Sixteen interviews were conducted with YEH in a large, urban Southwest city. Inductive thematic analysis was used to explore YEH experience with the app, including recommendations for improvement and perceived impact. Results. Youth experiencing homelessness reported high acceptance of the app. Several youths described changing risk behaviors after enrolling in the study. Youth found the app easy to navigate and the goal interface helpful in tracking progress. Challenges included stolen phones and survey timing. Youth experiencing homelessness strongly recommended customized messages and questions to avoid redundancy, and that real-time support for struggling youth be accessible through the app. Conclusion. A just-in-time adaptive intervention for HIV prevention is acceptable to YEH. Larger studies are needed to evaluate long-term impacts on HIV risk behavior.