“You have to adapt because you have no other choice”: The stories of strength and resilience of 208 homeless youth in New York City and Toronto

Abstract

Presented in this paper are the results of a qualitative analysis of the narratives of 208 homeless youth interviewed on streets and in agencies in

Health educators’ perceptions of a sexual health intervention for homeless adolescents

“…Recently, Kidd shared a great deal about his personal experience as a researcher in observing and interviewing homeless adolescents in New York City and Toronto, Canada [19]. He wrote that he had to conquer his fears and realize that they were "based on ignorance" as he found these youth to be friendly and not unlike other people (p. 232).…”

Invited Commentary: Seeking a Coherent Strategy in our Response to Homeless and Street-Involved Youth: A Historical Review and Suggested Future Directions

“…This emerges in both the content of studies of the etiology of youth homelessness (e.g., mental or genetic defect, economic or cultural upheaval, psychopathology, parental abuse) and the methods used in more contemporary risk factor analyses in which youths are implicitly placed in the position of billiard balls passively knocked into various street risk trajectories as a function of previous risk exposure. The line of research that is an exception in its examining the more active roles of homeless youth in surviving and prevailing over their circumstances is the resilience literature that has emerged in the past 15 years (Kidd 2003;Kidd and Davidson 2007;Lindsay et al 2000;Rew and Horner 2003;Williams et al 2001). These studies emphasize factors such as youths' cultivation of strategies to support self-reliance, spirituality, and the processes through which they seek to adapt to their shifting circumstances as they navigate street and non-street contexts and cultures.…”

“…These turns would seem to affect youths directly as well. There are indications that when youths frame their circumstances through the lens of social oppression and discrimination they are more resilient in the face of stigma as they are better able to frame discrimination at a social rather than an individual level (Kidd 2007;Kidd and Davidson 2007). Youth also would seem to readily take up mainstream messages, as seen in the extremely rapid rise of reports of familial abuse among homeless youth in the 1980s (New York Times 1988).…”

“…There is also a sense of oppression among youth in response to the passive victim explanations for their circumstances. While some might at times portray themselves as the ''helpless shivering waif'' (as one youth described it to me) to garner support from non street-involved persons, many will communicate a rejection of this disempowering identity among themselves (Kidd and Davidson 2007).…”

Des expériences affectives et sexuelles en situation de rue1

“…Par exemple, Jamoulle (2009 : 11) décrit les rencontres amoureuses des jeunes en situation de rue comme des « stratégies sociales et affectives ». D'autres suggèrent que les expériences affectives et sexuelles de ces jeunes visent à combler un vide affectif (Levac & Labelle, 2007), à briser l'isolement (Kidd & Davidson, 2007), à fournir un soutien éco-nomique et psychologique (Kidd & Davidson, 2007 ;Loates & Walsh, 2010 ;Rayburn & Corzine, 2010 ;Blais et al, 2012), ainsi qu'à les soutenir dans leur sortie du milieu de la drogue ou de la situation de rue (Kidd & Davidson, 2007 ;Levac & Labelle, 2007 ;Blais et al, 2012). Ces travaux mettent de l'avant une certaine instrumentalisation des liens affectifs et sexuels par les jeunes pour survivre en situation de rue.…”