Socioeconomic Characteristics of Neighborhoods where Youth in Out-of-Home Care Reside

Sarah J Beal; Mary V Greiner; Imani Crosby; Andrew F Beck

doi:10.1080/15548732.2019.1612817

Socioeconomic Characteristics of Neighborhoods where Youth in Out-of-Home Care Reside

J Public Child Welf. 2020;14(3):320-335. doi: 10.1080/15548732.2019.1612817. Epub 2019 May 10.

Authors

Sarah J Beal^{1

2}, Mary V Greiner^{1

3}, Imani Crosby⁴, Andrew F Beck^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
² Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
³ Division of General and Community Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
⁴ Department of Psychology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA.

Abstract

In the U.S., little is known about the neighborhoods where youth in out-of-home care live prior to emancipation. This study describes the socioeconomic characteristics of such neighborhoods. Addresses for 229 youth aged 16-20 years and residing in out-of-home care in a single Midwest county were used. Addresses were geocoded and linked to U.S. Census' data at the census tract level. Neighborhoods, or tracts, with youth in out-of-home care were significantly more disadvantaged across five area-based socioeconomic indicators. Findings suggest that youth in out-of-home care live in neighborhoods with disproportionately high rates of socioeconomic disadvantage.

Keywords: Adolescent; Child Welfare; Foster Care; Neighborhood; Out-of-home Care; Protective Custody.

Abstract

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