Supporting High Students Experiencing Homelessness Going to College: Perspectives of Local Liaisons

This qualitative study provides insight into the perceptions and experiences of local homeless liaisons supporting students experiencing homelessness who are preparing for and transitioning to college. Findings suggest that when it comes to preparing students experiencing homelessness for college, liaisons are very involved by addressing students' three main areas of need. These include their basic needs (i.e., physiological, safety, and academic) and social-emotional needs (i.e., love and belonging and esteem), as well as needs related to college-going (i.e., students' belief they can go to college) and expectations of college-going outcomes (i.e., students' belief they can graduate from college). Findings suggest that liaisons play a particularly important role in supporting the college-going of students experiencing homelessness and do so primarily by working collaboratively with a system of stakeholders.