Youth Health and Housing Lab

Led by Principal Investigator Dr. Janna R. Gewirtz O’Brien, the Youth Health and Housing Lab leads community-engaged, cross-sector work at the intersection of housing, healthcare and public health to optimize health and bolster resilience among youth experiencing homelessness. 

Our team

Our interdisciplinary team is housed within the Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health at the University of Minnesota School of Medicine. We partner with youth-serving agencies, governmental public health, healthcare institutions, and, most importantly, youth.  

Our Approach

Our team is committed to a strengths-based, anti-oppressive, trauma-informed approach rooted in Positive Youth Development. We uplift youth voice, and center equity in every aspect of the work. 

Why Focus on Youth Experiencing Homelessness?

Over 13,300 unaccompanied youth experience homelessness in Minnesota throughout a single year. When it comes to improving health outcomes for youth more generally, they have been largely left out of the conversation locally and nationally. Nearly three quarters (73%) of youth experiencing homelessness identify as Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC), compared to just 26% of all Minnesota youth; and 23% of youth experiencing homelessness identify as LGBTQ+, compared to 4% of all Minnesota youth.  These youth experience marginalization and the effects of historical harms within healthcare, including practical barriers (lack of insurance, inconsistent access to health care) and psychosocial barriers (such as structural racism/marginalization and trauma associated with systems-involvement).

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