Youth with unstable housing in New York City are increasingly vulnerable to trafficking, according to a recent study from NYU’s Marron Institute of Urban Management. Researchers are working on creating resources for youth who left unstable or abusive families, after finding that over 70% of those surveyed desire increased financial and employment assistance.
The study, published in February, surveyed 387 adolescents — most of whom were between the ages of 18 and 21 — across nine Runaway Homeless Youth programs in New York City from December 2021 to June 2023. A majority of participants expressed that the RHY program should bolster support for long-term housing and shelter, employment assistance and practical assistance. The study was conducted by professors and researchers from NYU, Columbia University, Bryant University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Northeastern University.
“Using industrial engineering methods, we can help organizations serving homeless youth and government agencies figure out how many more shelters, shelter beds and services are needed to meet the diverse needs of all the young people needing assistance,” Kayse Lee Maass, a lead researcher on the study and assistant professor at Northeastern University said in a statement to WSN. “Almost half of the youth surveyed (46%) said they experienced at least one of the human trafficking indicators at work.”
Human traffickers look for individuals who have been exposed to difficult circumstances, such as youth who have experienced homelessness and housing instability, according to the study. The survey asked participants about their experiences with various indicators of human trafficking, including wage theft, physical abuse and sexual harassment.
Meredith Dank, a clinical associate professor at NYU Marron and head researcher of the study, said that the team submitted a proposal to the National Science Foundation to create an app to bolster between care providers and homeless youth and young adults. Dank said that the app would allow youth to maintain control over their personal information and provide them with a space to store sensitive documents such as their social security card, birth certificate and driver’s license, which often get stolen or lost.
“Oftentimes, a huge part of why young people tend to gravitate towards certain programs, or not, is the level of respect,” Dank said in an interview with WSN. “Feeling a sense of being respected and listened to is a huge part of whether or not a young person continues to see services from certain programs, and just overall helps their stability in the long run.”
Contact Jennifer Jesus at news@nyunews.com.
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