Estimating the Prevalence of Trafficking Among Homeless and Runaway Youth, Georgia, 2017-2018 (ICPSR 37628)

Version Date: Feb 13, 2024

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Principal Investigator(s):
Eric R. Wright, Georgia State University

https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR37628.v1

Version V1

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Alternate Title

Atlanta Youth Count 2018 (AYC18)

Summary

The 2018 Atlanta Youth Count (AYC18), a follow-up to the 2015 Atlanta Youth Count and Needs Assessment (AYCNA), was expanded in 2018 to specifically address sex and labor trafficking among youth experiencing homelessness in metro Atlanta. This project was designed to provide impact on court, law enforcement, and victim service practices at the jurisdictional level in Georgia, and beyond.

Homeless youth in metro Atlanta and surrounding counties were contacted through outreach efforts at youth shelters, motels, and street locations where homeless youth tend to congregate. Data collection focused on basic demographic information, history of homelessness, health, sexual experiences, and social supports.

Citation

Wright, Eric R. Estimating the Prevalence of Trafficking Among Homeless and Runaway Youth, Georgia, 2017-2018. Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2024-02-13. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR37628.v1

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Funding

United States Department of Justice. Office of Justice Programs. National Institute of Justice (2016-MU-MU-0002)

Subject Terms

Geographic Coverage

Smallest Geographic Unit

None

Restrictions

Access to these data is restricted. Users interested in obtaining these data must complete a Restricted Data Use Agreement, specify the reasons for the request, and obtain IRB approval or notice of exemption for their research.

Distributor(s)

Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research
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Time Period(s)

2017 -- 2018

Date of Collection

2018-09 -- 2018-11

Data Collection Notes

  1. For more information about this study please visit the Atlanta Youth Count web site.
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Study Purpose

The purpose of the study was to:

  • Provide metro Atlanta service providers, policymakers, and youth advocates with practical information on the size, nature, and needs of the homeless and runaway youth in this community who are involved in various forms of sex and labor trafficking;
  • Collect information that can be used to develop and refine policies, programs, and interventions to help these youth in this community; and
  • Encourage a community-wide dialogue about the needs and social determinants of youth homelessness and human trafficking.

Study Design

Members of the study team conducted a street based survey with youth in five metro counties - Cobb, Clayton, Dekalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett. Interviews were conducted contacting homeless youth in shelters, motels, and other street and community locations where homeless youth live and spend time. Youth were contacted during three distinct 10-day sweeps. Screened-in youth had to meet the following characteristics:

  • age 14 to 25
  • live independently of any consistent support
  • no stable, permanent residence of their own

All surveys were conducted completely anonymously in order to encourage honesty and protect respondents from any harm or negative consequences stemming from their answers. No information was collected that could be used to identify or trace participants. Upon completion of the survey, respondents received a $10 Visa card, a list of useful resources available to them in the community, and assorted offerings (hygiene kits, condoms, snacks).

Time Method

Cross-sectional

Universe

Persons residing in the metro-Atlanta area who were 14-25 years of age who did not have a permanent, stable residence of their own, and who were living independently without consistent parental or familial support.

Unit(s) of Observation

Individual

Data Type(s)

Mode of Data Collection

Description of Variables

The dataset contains 564 youth respondents and has 116 variables. Major sections of the survey included:

  • Homeless history
  • Demographics
  • Physical and mental health
  • Drug and alcohol use
  • Traumatic life experiences
  • Sex
  • Law enforcement interaction
  • Social support

The Principal Investigator left some questions in these sections out of the dataset, and excluded the final two sections of the survey - work experience and attitudes towards the future.

Response Rates

The study team made 736 "contacts" with homeless youth on the street. From those contacts 641 surveys were completed. Surveys were conducted anonymously, and youth could complete the survey more than once. After data cleaning 77 respondents were deemed to be duplicates. This resulted in a final sample of 564 youth respondents.

Presence of Common Scales

  • CRAFFT (substance use screener)
  • ACES (childhood trauma)

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Original Release Date

2024-02-13

Version History

2024-02-13 ICPSR data undergo a confidentiality review and are altered when necessary to limit the risk of disclosure. ICPSR also routinely creates ready-to-go data files along with setups in the major statistical software formats as well as standard codebooks to accompany the data. In addition to these procedures, ICPSR performed the following processing steps for this data collection:

  • Checked for undocumented or out-of-range codes.

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Weight

None

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Notes

  • The public-use data files in this collection are available for access by the general public. Access does not require affiliation with an ICPSR member institution.

  • One or more files in this data collection have special restrictions. Restricted data files are not available for direct download from the website; click on the Restricted Data button to learn more.