otheses, to wit:
H1: Homeless youth in Los Angeles County are likely to
seek service from medical and social work centers only
when an extreme crisis such as a major illness, injury,
H2: Homeless youth in Los Angeles County are likely to
indicate mistrust centered on caregiving services and
service providers as a primary barrier to accessing
The research questions shaping this project are: 1) what is the incidence of adolescent or youth homelessness in Los Angeles? 2) What services and service deficits can be identified that impact upon this population? 3) What do homeless youth themselves perceive as constituting the primary barriers to accessing medical, social work, psychological and other services? 4) What changes in the service delivery system do homeless youth believe would improve their use of such services?
The sample population consists of a total of 100 homeless youth who receive some services or participate in some of the programs offered at a number of "My Club" street outreach centers that are operated by Angel's Flight Runaway & Homeless Services in South Los Angeles, Los Angeles Covenant House, and a homeless center for youth operated under the aegis of Catholic Charities. For the purposes of this study, a convenience sample as described by Babbie (2004) will be recruited, composed entirely of youth receiving services at one of these agencies. Participation will be entirely voluntary. Subjects will be informed of the purpose of the study and asked if they will complete a brief survey instrument developed by the researcher which includes demographic as well as attitudinal survey items.
Subjects participating in the study will be in the age range of 13 to 18 years. Efforts will be made by the researcher to divide subjects evenly among males and females. Only self-reported homelessness and the foregoing age and gender considerations will determine eligibility for participat...