Homeless Youth Study - Stepping Stone 2.0

Homeless Youth Study - Stepping Stone 2.0

Housing instability is both a cause and consequence of mental health problems. As such youth experiencing housing instability (e.g., homeless or marginally housed) have higher rates of mental health problems.Because of their circumstances, these youth also face significant barriers to mental health care and are therefore less likely to receive the treatment that they need. Mobile technology may offer a novel platform for increasing access to mental health care in this population. The primary goals of this pilot study are to (1) establish the feasibility and acceptability of delivering automated mental health interventions via smartphone technology, (2) examine the extent to which automated mental health interventions delivered via mobile technology improve mental health in homeless, marginally-housed, and exiting foster youth.

Inclusion Criteria:

• 16-25 years

• English-speaking

• Youth must meet one of the following risk criteria

  • Experiencing housing instability as defined by:

    • lacking a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence OR whose primary nighttime residence is a shelter, institution, or a "public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings"
    • sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing [or] economic hardship.
    • frequent moves, poor housing quality (e.g., living in severely overcrowded housing).

  • Imminently leaving the foster care system

• Willingness and ability to comply with requirements of the study protocol

Exclusion Criteria:

* Inability to understand study procedures and participate in the informed consent process.