Chapin Hall in the News
Riverbender (March 26, 2024)
Durbin, Duckworth Announce Illinois Priorities Secured In Second “Minibus” Government Funding Bill
Crisis Intervention, Chicago: $425,000 to The National Runaway Safeline (NRS) to enable NRS to partner with Chapin Hall, a national leader in youth homelessness research, to conduct an analysis and study of NRS crisis intervention and prevention services data.
Stanford Social Innovation Review (March 12, 2024)
The median income of former foster youth in their mid-20s is $8,000 (Chapin Hall Center for Children, 2004).
There is a large – and growing – body of research that tells us that kids are much more likely to graduate from high school when they attend class regularly, are not removed from their classroom for behavioral disruptions, and don’t fall behind on accumulating course credits (Casey Family Programs, 2005; Chapin Hall Center for Children, 2004).
The Milwaukee Independent (February 26, 2024)
Luke Waldo: How the Weight of Poverty and Systemic Failures Are Overloading Families
With this knowledge, it should not be surprising that the provision of economic and concrete support is associated with decreases in both neglect and physical abuse. In 2023, Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, one of our country’s leading research and policy centers that focuses on child welfare and family well-being, published a comprehensive report on the impacts of poverty on child neglect and abuse.
8 News Now (February 23, 2024)
Clark County in need of foster families from all backgrounds
Data from Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago stated that LGBTQ+ young people experience homelessness at more than twice the rate of their peers. Youth who identify as black/multiracial and LBGTQ had some of the highest rates of homelessness.
KUNC (February 12, 2024)
Unhoused kids in Colorado’s rural eastern plains have few resources, no shelters
“Even though youth homelessness is just as prevalent in rural communities as it is in urban communities, it’s much more hidden in rural areas,” said Erin Devorah Carreon, a researcher at the University of Chicago’s Chapin Hall. “People are less likely to see it. Not as many young people stay in shelters, they’re more likely to be on couches, inside of vehicles or outdoors and more secluded spaces.”
“LGBTQ youth are at more than double the risk of homelessness compared to non-LGBTQ peers,” according to the Chapin Hall Research Institute at the University of Chicago.
Homeless LGBTQ youth are three times as likely to have exchanged sex for basic needs and 2 1/2 times as likely to have been forced to have sex, Chapin Hall found.
The Texas Tribune (February 11, 2024)
What One Teen’s Story Tells Us About Homelessness in Rural Texas
Erin Carreon, a researcher at the University of Chicago, said there is likely a significant undercount in rural areas. That’s because rural teens are often “hidden” from counters.
“When we think of homelessness, we might think of people in shelters or we might think of people on a busy street corner that people are walking by,” Carreon said. “In a rural area, young people are more likely to stay on couches, inside vehicles if they are outdoors, and it might be in a more secluded and hidden spot.”
The Wichita Eagle (February 10, 2024)
Kris Kobach should be impeached for Kris Kobach should be impeached for coercing school districts to target trans kids | Opinion
“LGBTQ youth are at more than double the risk of homelessness compared to non-LGBTQ peers,” according to the Chapin Hall Research Institute at the University of Chicago.
Homeless LGBTQ youth are three times as likely to have exchanged sex for basic needs and 2 1/2 times as likely to have been forced to have sex, Chapin Hall found.
The Progressive Magazine (February 9, 2024)
Rethinking Our Response to Youth Homelessness
We need to take concrete steps if we are to reduce the unconscionable racial disparities in youth homelessness. The recent Strengthening the Village project from Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago can act as a helpful starting point: A research overview, policy recommendations and practice suggestions explore how to bolster informal hosting arrangements, with special attention given to renters hosting youth who would otherwise be homeless.
WGN Radio 720 (February 6, 2024)
City Club of Chicago: Navigating the Future – Civic Leaders and the AI Landscape
Moderator Sylvia Ewing will lead the conversation with insights from Public Narrative’s Jhmira Alexandra, Chapin Hall’s Marrianne McMullen and Salesforce’s Jon Powell. This conversation aims to explore the complexities of AI while highlighting its potential for positive real-world applications within the civic community.
Authority Magazine (January 5, 2024)
What is a project you or others are working on today that gives you hope? How can our readers learn more about this work?
Implementation of the Blueprint for Transformation: A Vision for Improved Behavioral Healthcare for Illinois Children, which is well underway with support from the General Assembly, Governor’s Office, advocacy community, network of private providers, and state agency partners.
Los Angeles Times (January 4, 2024)
Parenting classes are routinely ordered in child abuse cases. California isn’t ensuring they work
“Why would you send a family to a parenting class that either you know is not effective or you have no evidence that it is? That doesn’t make a lot of sense,” said Amy Dworsky, a nationally recognized researcher at Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, a policy research institution with a focus on child welfare.
“I don’t think it’s too much to demand that when families are being referred to services that we have some sense that those services are effective.”
Youth Today (January 1, 2024)
Trauma-informed ‘hubs’ reduce Chicago youth incarceration
As those and other evidence-based interventions remain a centerpiece of Redeploy, the project will continue to be rigorously evaluated, ensuring that what appears to be working, actually works. Researchers at the University of Chicago’s Chapin Hall, another Redeploy partner, will conduct just such an evaluation over the next three years.
Centralia Morning Sentinel (December 27, 2023)
ISBE releases report on student mental health screening
ISBE partnered with the Children’s Behavioral Health Transformation team, Chapin Hall, and the Illinois Department of Public Health to administer the required landscape scan via an online feedback form distributed to all school districts and in-person and virtual listening sessions that were open to school personnel, parents/guardians, community members and students.
The Imprint (December 18, 2023)
Top Stories of 2023: Reproductive Health for Youth in Foster Care
“The situation looks ripe for a lawsuit since, in some states, young people in foster care appear not to have the same rights to reproductive health care as their peers who are not in foster care,” said Amy Dworsky, of Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, after reviewing The Imprint’s findings.
Chalkbeat Chicago (December 18, 2023)
How much school are Illinois students in foster care missing? The state doesn’t track.
Dana Weiner, a senior policy fellow for Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago who leads Pritzker’s task force on foster care issues, said the amount of cooperation she sees now between different agencies involved in foster care, including ISBE — along with the legislation signed into law in August and the funding DCFS now has at its disposal — give her hope.
Chicago Sun-Times (December 8, 2023)
Why youth homelessness is a big problem in Cook County
Op-ed by Chapin Hall Executive Director Bryan Samuels.
At Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, our work has focused on homelessness in youth, ages 13 to 25. Our multifaceted Voices of Youth Count study looked at the prevalence of youth experiencing homelessness, why they are without shelter and what helps or hinders their survival. We did a deep dive into five diverse counties: Cook County; Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania; San Diego County, California; Travis County, Texas; and Walla Walla County, Washington.
In Cook County, a key finding was that Black boys and young men are disproportionately affected by housing instability. A little less than a quarter of the county’s population is Black, but 65% of the youth experiencing homelessness were Black.
Youth Today (November 22, 2023)
In ‘host homes,’ volunteers provide safe homes for LGBTQ+ youth at risk of homelessness
“We’re not creating anything new, we’re really just building off of this history of resilience and resistance,” said Mallory VanMeeter, a youth homelessness researcher at Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago.
Spokane Public Radio
Washington’s new youth homelessness ‘Lifeline’ service lags
A key element of implementing Lifeline involves creating a process for providing financial assistance to meet urgent needs or head off crises. Melissa Kull, a senior researcher at Chapin Hall, a policy research center at the University of Chicago, said studies have found timely direct cash aid provides one of the most effective forms of support against homelessness. A variation on the concept — paying for essentials for youth in need — has become a cornerstone of multiple new youth homelessness reduction efforts statewide.
Orlando Sentinel (November 3, 2023)
Orlando nonprofits rise to support homeless LGBTQ youth amid statewide restrictions
LGBTQ people are more likely than their straight, cisgender counterparts to become homeless, in many cases because their families do not accept their sexuality or gender identity, according to a 2018 nationwide survey by Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago.
Shaw Local News Network (October 27, 2023)
Lighting ceremony in Ottawa to kick off National Runaway Prevention Month
Statistics from Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago reveal a concerning trend: More than 4.2 million young people between the ages of 13 and 25 experience some form of homelessness in the U.S. annually.
Crain’s Chicago Business (October 23, 2023)
On the policy side, Illinois leaders prioritize child mental health
The effort is led by Dana Weiner, who is working for Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office on loan from the Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago, where she’s long studied behavioral health and well-being in children.
Crain’s Chicago Business (October 23, 2023)
Commentary: Four principles that will transform youth behavioral health service
Dr. Dana Weiner wrote about the Illinois Children’s Behavioral Health Transformation for Crain’s Chicago Business. Weiner is a clinical psychologist, researcher and senior policy fellow at Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago. She currently serves in the Office of Gov. J.B. Pritzker as chief officer for Children’s Behavioral Health Transformation.
Broadway World (October 22, 2023)
Jay Armstrong Johnson’s I PUT A SPELL ON YOU Is More Than A Night Of Halloween Fun
The Ali Forney Center’s work is more important than ever — LGBTQ+ youth are more than two times as likely to experience homelessness as heterosexual youth, according to a national survey in “Missed opportunities: LGBTQ youth homelessness in America” from Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago.
Psychology Today (October 10, 2023)
New Study Finds Half of LGBTQ+ Are Estranged From Family
Those in the LGBTQ+ community are 120 percent more likely to face homelessness than their peers, according to data compiled by Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, a research organization supporting services and systems for young people and families.
Chalkbeat Chicago (October 2, 2023)
At 6 Illinois College Campuses, Advocates Seek To Create ‘Comfort’ For Foster Care Peers
“Young people with a background in foster care on college campuses are not getting the supports they need to be successful,” said Amy Dworsky, a senior research fellow at Chapin Hall at University of Chicago who co-authored the study and helped the state create the advocate program.
Star Beacon/originally in LA Times (September 26, 2023)
Hefty cigarette taxes cut smoking big-time. But there’s a downside for children
“It seemed like a brilliant solution — tax the sinners who are smoking to help newborns and their parents. It was great,” said Deborah Daro, a senior research fellow at Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago and a First 5 Los Angeles consultant. “But then people stopped smoking, which from a public health perspective is great, but from a funding perspective for First 5 — they don’t have another funding stream.”
Fast Company (September 14, 2023)
She went to the hospital for a few days. The state kept her kids for 4 years
It’s a question that more people should be asking, advocates and researchers say. “Even modest economic supports can stabilize families and alleviate the need for more intensive intervention” such as foster care, write Dana Weiner, Clare Anderson, and Krista Thomas, senior policy fellows at Chapin Hall, an independent policy research center at the University of Chicago.
Florida Weekly (September 7, 2023)
Selfless Love to host national think tank
Selfless Love Foundation has engaged researchers from Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago to produce a report on how to implement the programs and practices discussed at the National Think Tank. The nearly 100 attendees representing states from New York to Georgia and Texas to Hawaii will then be able to implement those practices to impact the lives of youth across the nation. Info: selflesslovefoundation.org.
The Philadelphia Citizen (August 31, 2023)
Compare those figures to those to the national outcomes of children in foster care as tallied by the U.S. Department of Education and nonprofit University of Chicago’s Chapin Hall research center: 55 percent earn a high school degree; 74 percent avoid the juvenile justice system; and become teen parents. (More than 30 percent of Friends of the Children kids have been in foster care.)
Seven Days – Vermont’s Independent Voice (August 23, 2023)
At-Risk Young People Get a Monthly Stipend as a Hedge Against Homelessness
In New York City, researchers plan to check in for at least six months after the payouts end, a departure from a lot of existing research, which often concludes with the program, according to Anne Farrell, senior research fellow at Chapin Hall.
She said cash payouts are not a “silver bullet for everyone.” But, Farrell said, “we do hope and expect … that the cash and the supports help people to not just procure housing but also to stabilize in other ways that will be maintained across time.”
SooLeader (August 18, 2023)
New program aims to offer greater protection for at-risk children
Providing childcare subsidies decreases child neglect by 31 per cent, according to a study by Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, while referring homeless families to permanent housing decreases foster care placement by 50 per cent and connecting families to food assistance decreases child maltreatment by 11 per cent, the release said.
NC Newsline (August 17, 2023)
The looming childcare “crisis,” public benefits and their impact on the foster care system
Clare Anderson, senior policy fellow at Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, presented research showing that states like North Carolina that strip people’s TANF benefits for not meeting work requirements experience a 23% increase in substantial child neglect reports and a nearly 13% increase in foster care entries.
“It’s important to understand that the first statutory goal of TANF is to support needy families so that children can be cared for in their own homes or with relatives,” Anderson said. “So, decision-making in TANF seems to have an effect on what happens in child welfare.”
Stateline (August 17, 2023)
Couch, car or curb: Defining which young person is ‘homeless’ affects aid state by state
“If you’re running a program and you’re funded by HUD, based on their definition of homelessness, your hands are tied in terms of who you can serve,” said Amy Dworsky, a senior research fellow at Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago. “You can serve a youth that’s sleeping on the street, but you can’t serve a youth who’s sleeping on someone’s couch.”
Oklahoma Watch (August 5, 2023)
Homeless youth walk hidden path in rural Oklahoma
Gonser said she rarely encounters homeless youth because many are so-called couch homeless and doubled up with another family. That form of homelessness is twice as common for youth in rural communities, according to a University of Chicago study. (Voices of Youth Count, Chapin Hall)
The Imprint (July 7, 2023)
Can Giving Cash to Youth Prevent Homelessness? A New Program Developed in Washington Looks Promising
More than 4 million teens and young adults face homelessness each year, according to researchers from Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago. Countless more are just one missed paycheck or emergency expense away from similar struggles. Early intervention is key, experts say, because the longer a person is homeless, the harder it is for them to escape it.
The Imprint (July 5, 2023)
California Budget Boosts Higher Education and Housing for Foster Youth
Roughly half of all foster youth in California experience at least one bout of homelessness between the ages of 18 and 21, and a third face multiple episodes of homelessness, according to researchers at Chapin Hall, based at the University of Chicago, who have tracked this demographic group for years.
WGN Radio 720 (June 25, 2023)
City Club of Chicago: Youth Homelessness – Federal and Local Perspectives
Youth Homelessness: Federal and Local Perspectives
Jeff Olivet- U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, Carolyn K. Ross- All Chicago, Bryan Samuels- Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago
The pandemic, affordable housing shortages, and inflation have exacerbated homelessness in major cities throughout the U.S., and Chicago is no exception. In this discussion, federal and local experts will look specifically at youth homelessness. Experts will address the question of how advocates and agencies can work with the city to get upstream of housing instability for teens and young adults. The discussion will include the potential impact that the federal government’s All INside and other initiatives can have on Chicago.
WGN (June 2, 2023)
A few Chicago pro sports teams continue an alliance in 2023
As part of the effort, the alliance and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation will give $1.5 million in grants to five organizations in Chicago that are making efforts to address gun violence.
For 2023, these include: Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago
Teen Vogue (May 16, 2023)
LGBTQ Students Face Barriers to Getting Student Loans Without Parents’ Participation
According to data from Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, LGBTQ+ youth are 120% more likely to experience homelessness than other youth.
Youth Today (May 9, 2023)
As fentanyl use rises among teens, Arizona requires naloxone in foster homes
Bryan Samuels, executive director of Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, a child welfare policy research institute, said without evidence, the Arizona policy might make sense if institutions for all groups of vulnerable populations were requiring naloxone on site, like schools and libraries. But it gets dicey if that isn’t the case, he said.
“It really becomes a question of how specific is the policy to kids in foster care versus a generalized policy around multiple vulnerable populations that are driving that decision,” Samuels said.
The Imprint (May 9, 2023)
Foster Care’s Missing Policies For Sexual and Reproductive Health
Given their numbers and high rates of poor health outcomes, Amy Dworsky, a leading scholar of pregnancy and parenting in foster care with Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, reacted to The Imprint’s investigation with alarm.
“These findings highlight all the barriers young people in care face to accessing reproductive health care that their peers don’t,” she said. “The situation looks ripe for a lawsuit since, in some states, young people in foster care appear not to have the same rights to reproductive healthcare as their peers who are not in foster care.”
The Brown Daily Herald (May 5, 2023)
Rhode Island launches first Youth Point in Time Count in five years
Reis said that the organizations learned about conducting a youth count from Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, a policy research center focused on children, youth and families, which has a toolkit on how to conduct a youth count.
WAMU (April 18, 2023)
Some face homelessness when leaving foster care, despite D.C. having housing vouchers to help them
And just looking at the initial numbers doesn’t provide a full picture, according to Amy Dworsky, a senior research fellow at the University of Chicago who has written extensively about housing and foster care. Homelessness often comes six months or a year later, Dworksy said, when whatever housing option young people chose falls through, frequently because family support peters out or savings dry up. Local young people say the CFSA-provided options often don’t work, as will be explored in an upcoming article.
Columbus Dispatch (April 17, 2023)
Central Ohio received $6 million for homeless youth. How many were helped?
Each night a young person sleeps outside, they are 2% less likely to maintain housing once they obtain it, said Thesing, quoting research from Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago.
The Imprint (April 13, 2023)
New York’s Runaway and Homeless Minors Can Now Consent to Their Own Health Care
Nationwide, LGBTQ+ youth were twice as likely to experience homelessness as other youth, the University of Chicago’s Chapin Hall concluded in a 2018 policy brief. They also had twice the rate of early death during homelessness.
South Bend Tribune (April 12, 2023)
How LGBTQ-friendly can a city be if it’s not affordable to live there?
LGBTQ people are disproportionately at risk of experiencing poverty, at a rate greater than 1 in 5 (22%), compared to 16% in the non-LGBTQ population. LGBTQ youth are more than twice as likely as non-LGBTQ youth to experience homelessness, according to Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago. Black LGBTQ people are even more likely to experience homelessness, unemployment and other factors related to economic security.
Best Colleges (April 11, 2023)
Free College for Students With Experience in Foster Care Proposed in California
Students with experience in foster care (SEFC) tend to gravitate toward community colleges. Amy Dworsky, a researcher at Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, said during a webinar hosted by the National Research Collaborative for Foster Alumni and Higher Education that in a sample size of nearly 5,500 SEFC in Illinois, 86% of those who went to college initially enrolled in community college.
The Statehouse File (April 6, 2023)
Human sexuality bill runs gauntlet of amendments in fraught Senate debate
According to a recent study from Chapin Hall, a public policy research institute at the University of Chicago, LGBTQ young people are 120% more likely to experience homelessness than non-LGBTQ youth.
The Imprint (April 4, 2023)
The Hidden Homeless: Exploring the Impact of Housing Inequality on Young Adults
Childhood trauma, challenging family dynamics, and weak relational ties increase risks of basic needs insecurity. A 2021 report by Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago found that housing insecure youth and youth experiencing homelessness share common characteristics…
The Mercury/Manhattan Kansas (April 3, 2023)
Report: Kansas foster care placement instability driven by older youths
Leanne Heaton, senior researcher and data manager at Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, shared with a joint House and Senate committee Friday an evaluation of placement instability within the Kansas foster care program.
Capitol News Illinois (March 6, 2023)
High prices, gaps in availability across Illinois highlight patchwork child care system
According to research from Chapin Hall, a policy research group based at the University of Chicago, the early months of the pandemic were particularly hard for the child care industry, with 36 percent of the workforce experiencing interruptions in employment, meaning they quit or were fired from their job.
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