Developing Effective Youth Programs: A Research Report on Homelessness

This research report addresses the critical social issue of youth homelessness, particularly in the Sunshine Coast area, where approximately 10% of young people face this challenge. It reviews past youth programs, highlighting their shortcomings such as inadequate infrastructure and a failure to ad...Read More

Running head: RESEARCH REPORT
Research Report
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

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RESEARCH REPORT
Table of Contents
1. Introduction..................................................................................................................................2
2. Review of the Youth Program in Past.........................................................................................2
3. Program Plan...............................................................................................................................3
4. Action Plan..................................................................................................................................5
References........................................................................................................................................7

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1. Introduction
The report highlights one of the significant social issues called homelessness. The
obtained idea from the previous assessment suggests that many of the young people in Sunshine
Coast Area have been facing such issues due to diverse reasons. The report revealed that almost
10% of the young people were homeless. The study will evaluate the ideas about the youth
programs undertaken in past. Identification of gaps will be discussed to formulate the new
programs to mitigate this social issue. The detailed analysis of the program will be systematically
discussed.
2. Review of the Youth Program in Past
The previous assignment revealed that almost 10% of the young population has been
facing the challenges due to the homelessness. The aggressiveness of the young generation is one
of the probable reasons of the homelessness (Rutherford, 2017). It was also analyzed that the
homeless young people mostly experience trauma, poverty, social isolation, poor mental health,
and violence (Ravenhill, 2016). Previously, many of the youth programs were organized to help
the homeless people by identifying the root cause of their homelessness. For example, The
Accommodation Service was arranged by the Australian government for supporting the young
homeless and offering them the crisis shelter (Beaton, 2016). However, the previous research
reveals that due to the lack of adequate infrastructure and set up, majority of the youth program
failed. This youth program needs to be arranged by concentrating on the basic needs and
demands of the young who have been facing the challenges of homelessness. The youth
programs that were arranged previously did not follow such rules. The shelter was provided to
them, but there is no initiative for resolving the issues. The youth requires proper guidance to

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improve their lifestyle, which was supposed to be one of the major reasons of being away from
their home (Breckenridge et al., 2015). The initiatives for supporting them and their family can
be beneficial for reducing the homelessness. However, the increasing number of homeless youth
creates the shortage of enough space (Wildeman, 2014). The inadequate infrastructure and
capital resources are thus restricting the programs from being successful (Cutuli et al., 2017).
Considering such reasons, it is essential to develop the appropriate youth program that would
address these issues and work more actively on achieving the purpose.
3. Program Plan
The obtained idea from the study discusses the major reasons for failing in the youth
programs. Considering the loopholes, a new youth program needs to be developed. It is
important to develop a collaborative initiative that provides the adequate support to the young
people for engaging them to better behavioral practices. This program will include the following
activities:
 Family and Relationship supports
 Health Services
 Housing
 Education and Employment Training
 Emergency services
These specific services will be offered to the homeless young people. These services will be
organized to serve the purpose of improving the lifestyle and family relationships of the young
people. It will be helpful to motivate them towards the positive aspects and lead their life with

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their families and friends. The control of their aggressiveness and their positive outlook towards
life will enrich their lives and mitigate the issues with homelessness.
The operational management team will be involved with this arrangement. The counselor
will be involved with this initiative for communicating with the young homeless people. Their
point of views and their lifestyles will be observed more closely. The activities associated with
the programs will be closely monitored and arranged systematically. The complete assessment
report will develop the better solutions for such challenges.
It has been observed that almost 10% of the young people have been suffering from the
homelessness. It was even observed that various reasons are involved with this issue. The
development of the youth program needs to concentrate on the methods or initiatives to mitigate
such challenges (Shipstone, Young & Kearney, 2017). The support from the families and
adequate infrastructure will be beneficial in carefully arranging the youth program and ensure
success. The increasing concerns regarding this issue will make this program feasible for those
who are homeless in this region.
Utilizing the appropriate techniques and tools will be beneficial for measuring progress of
this youth program (Crane, 2017). Evaluation of the entire process helps in identifying the areas
of improvements. Moreover, it also helps in understanding the progress report. A Program
Evaluation Form needs to be filled up by the associated stakeholders or the clients. The
responses received through this evaluation form will be monitored and assessed to understand
the feasibility of the scheduled program. The program will ensure the sufficient resources and
places for the young homeless people. A negotiator or a specific reviewer will be present for
communicating more significantly in case of any difficulty or needs for participants changes. The

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high level of communicational transparency will be quite helpful in such context for dealing with
the uncertainties during the program.
4. Action Plan
A detailed program report is formatted below:
Initiatives People Involved Probable Outcomes Duration
Family and Relationship
supports
Supervisors, community
members, homeless
young people
The communication
with the young people
and their families will
be helpful in identifying
the reasons behind their
homelessness.
Improving the lifestyle
and shed lights on the
issues will resolve it at
the initial level.
1-2 weeks
Health Services Community members,
volunteers, healthcare
practitioners
The health issues and
psychological
deprivation of the
homeless people will be
treated by the health
care practitioners
1 month
Housing Government, organizers The homeless people
will be accommodated
-

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to the proper houses.
Education and
Employment Training
Community members,
teachers, NGO
The homeless people
will receive appropriate
education and training
for the better lifestyle.
1 month
The above plan shows the initiatives that will be undertaken for the homeless young
people in Sunshine Coast Area. It is expected that the adequate support from the government and
the community members will be helpful for scheduling this program in a systematic way. The
continuous review and monitoring process will also be helpful in making this initiative a success.

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References
Beaton, S. (2016). BUZZING—A theory-based impact evaluation design. Evaluation Journal of
Australasia, 16(4), 21-29.
Breckenridge, J., Chung, D., Spinney, A., & Zufferey, C. (2015). National mapping and meta-
evaluation outlining key features of effective" safe at home" programs that enhance
safety and prevent homelessness for women and their children who have experienced
domestic and family violence: State of knowledge paper.
Crane, P. (2017). Seven years on: Continuity and change in how we approach homelessness and
housing in Queensland. Parity, 30(9), 7.
Cutuli, J. J., Ahumada, S. M., Herbers, J. E., Lafavor, T. L., Masten, A. S., & Oberg, C. N.
(2017). Adversity and children experiencing family homelessness: Implications for
health. Journal of Children and Poverty, 23(1), 41-55.
Ravenhill, M. (2016). The culture of homelessness. Routledge.
Rutherford, L. (2017). Youth connect: Building resilience to homelessness in young
people. Parity, 30(9), 88.
Shipstone, R., Young, J., & Kearney, L. (2017). New frameworks for understanding sudden
unexpected deaths in infancy (SUDI) in socially vulnerable families. Journal of pediatric
nursing.
Wildeman, C. (2014). Parental incarceration, child homelessness, and the invisible consequences
of mass imprisonment. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social
Science, 651(1), 74-96.