From Instability to Recovery: Mapping Youth Housing Trajectories with Life History Calendar

Youth homelessness is widely studied, yet little research traces developmental housing pathways across time. This study used a life-course lens to explore how youth navigate instability from childhood into emerging adulthood, and how connection, structure, and meaning-making shape recovery. By mapping temporal movement, we identify turning points that shift trajectories toward stability. Eight youth (ages 21-26) enrolled in a cash-transfer program participated in Life History Calendar interviews to reconstruct housing trajectories and contextual life events. Transcripts and calendars were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis, incorporating within-case mapping and cross-case comparison. Eight interrelated themes traced developmental pathways into and out of homelessness. Early instability stemmed from caregiving rupture, institutional displacement, and accumulated adversity. Adolescence was marked by survival-based autonomy, mistrust, and systems that supported and surveilled simultaneously. In emerging adulthood, youth rebuilt connections through peers, identity-affirming community, and structured housing programs. Recovery was anchored in belonging, stability, and meaning-making rather than individual effort alone. Youth homelessness unfolds as a developmental process shaped by intersecting trauma, inequity, and adaptive coping. Findings highlight the need for policies and interventions that reduce surveillance barriers and expand identity-affirming, autonomy-supportive housing models. Developmentally grounded support may strengthen long-term stability and engagement.