Correlates of homeless youths’ stability-seeking behaviors online and in person

Objective: This study examines correlates of service seeking and use of the Internet for stability-seeking purposes such as employment, housing, and health needs among homeless youth. The purpose was to (a) analyze previously unexplored youth characteristics and behaviors such as substance use and selfreported reasons for homelessness; (b) understand the relationship between youth characteristics and behaviors and use of the Internet for stability-seeking purposes; and (c) compare Internet resource-seeking between those who used in-person services and those who did not use in-person services in each domain. Method: A nonprobability sample of homeless youth completed a self-administered questionnaire during 2 periods of data collection (N = 642) at drop-in agencies in a large city on the West Coast. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were conducted and the Holm-Bonferroni method was applied to adjust for multiple comparisons. Results: Logistic regressions show service use and use of the Internet for stabilityseeking purposes are significantly associated with race, hard drug use, and becoming homeless because of mental health problems. Individuals who use hard drugs are 2 times more likely (OR = 1.82, p <.05) to use health services than those who do not use hard drugs. Youth who indicate they are homeless because of mental illness are 5 times more likely (OR = 5.13, p <.001) to look online for health services than homeless youth who do not give mental illness as a reason for homelessness. Conclusions: Some youth who might otherwise be labeled disconnected could still be searching for stability-seeking resources through the Internet. Implications for practice are discussed.