“They’re Always Complicated but That’s the Meaning of Family in My Eyes”: Homeless Youth Making Sense of “Family” and Family Relationships

Abstract

Analyses of the relevance of family for young people are more visible than previously within youth research. Nonetheless, understanding of the nature and meaning of family relationships for those who experience separation from their family, including homeless youth, is relatively weak. Based on selected findings from a qualitative longitudinal study, this article explores the meaning-making processes of homeless young people with explicit attention to the ways in which “family” is produced and (re)negotiated in their lives over time. Four themes are presented— family as reliable and supportive; family as interrupted and “broken”; family as fragile and elusive; and family as fluid and ambiguous—revealing the unfolding nature of young people’s constructions of family and family relationships. The enduring impact of separation, dislocation, and conflict on how young people “make sense” of familial experiences is discussed, and we conclude with the practice implications arising from the findings.

The influence of peer relationships on young people's sexual health in Sub-Saharan African street contexts

“…Family members, teachers, sport coaches and community members create an intergenerational social network of role models, advisors and supporters. While relationships with families tend to be conceptualised as a source of financial and emotional support ( Parker and Mayock, 2019 ; Gillies, 2000 ), in low-income countries, and in particular for young people living in street contexts, kin relationships are “stretched across time and space” ( van Blerk, 2012 : 323) as young people migrate to the city seeking new livelihoods. This intra- and inter-national migration from rural familial settings to independence in urban settings is well documented (e.g.…”

“…While extant, these intergenerational relationships are primarily transactional, meaning that multifaceted peer relationships are amplified in importance with positive and negative results ( Petering et al, 2014 ; Langevang, 2008 ; Rice, 2005 ). It is within the “everyday practices or actions” ( Parker and Mayock, 2019 : 555) of peer relationships, anchored on the street, that street youth build “life worlds” which are “based on reciprocal companionships in everyday life and times of crises” ( Ungruhe, 2019 : 52).…”

“…For young people living in liminal city spaces, street peer groups to some degree replace or replicate family support ( Aptekar and Stoecklin, 2014 ). However, for street youth the concept of “family” itself is troublesome, a social construct ( Parker and Mayock, 2019 ) with wide variations across cultural contexts. Peer relations map on to street youth's experiences of familial relationships; being flawed and problematic, conflicted and coercive, as well as nourishing and supportive.…”

The Emotional Nature of Birth Family Relationships for Care-experienced and Adopted Young People: A Longitudinal Perspective

“…Contemporary research on the family has highlighted significant transformations in family composition, with households becoming extremely diverse, and family boundaries becoming more flexible. These changes have affected the way young people ascribe meaning to family (e.g., Parker & Mayock, 2019). These changes in family composition have also led to a move away from normative definitions of "the family" towards notions of kinship and a recognition of the dynamic nature of family relationships (Boddy, 2019).…”

Providing Young Families With Housing in Russia: Financial, Economical, Administrative, and Regulatory Aspects

“…The importance of comfortable and decent conditions for youth and young families is viewed differently from various opinions: as the possibility of poverty and homelessness salvation (Kennelly & Watt, 2012); (Coulter et al, 2020& Parker & Mayock, 2019 as the possibility of overcoming socio-economic conflicts of youth with parents (Palma & Scott, 2020& Hikichi et al, 2020, as one of the tools of youth psychological growth (Darra et al, 2020& Natalier, & Johnson, 2012, as the option of achieving a particular status in society (Galster & Wessel, 2019;Fiori et al, 2020), etc. That means that role of housing in youth life and young families are valued from different points of view.…”