Loneliness and social isolation are growing public health concerns. Conversely, community membership is associated with reduced mortality risk and ameliorates mental distress. This paper explores how residents of a self-governing cohousing community, comprised of private dwellings and common spaces, understand the impact of community living on their mental health and well-being. An ethnographically informed method is used. Data is analysed using reflexive thematic analysis and comprises fieldnote observations of a community, semi-structured interviews, and relevant community documentation. Four themes were generated: (1) Social Pollination: How a Community Protects, (2) Finding Your Tribe: Meaning and Purpose in Cohousing, (3) Deconstructing Defensible Spaces, (4) Conflict and Tension in a Social World. Residents benefitted from a strong sense of meaning and identity, support when experiencing distress or raising children, and increased security from a sharing economy. Perceived social burdens, conflict, and distress are experienced and mitigated by resolution processes.

ABSTRACTYouth 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.

ABSTRACTAutistic people are overrepresented among people experiencing homelessness, and better recognition of autism may improve access to homelessness services. This study examined whether staff working in homelessness services identify autism in service users. A total of 203 staff working with people experiencing homelessness in the UK completed an online survey in which they were asked to identify a mental health or neurodevelopmental condition from five vignettes co‐developed with experts by experience. Participants were most accurate at identifying more traditional presentations of autism and least accurate at identifying Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (EUPD). Personal or professional connection to, and experience with, autism did not predict accuracy or whether participants said they would make adaptations. These findings suggest that recognition of more nuanced presentations of autism needs to improve. Future research should examine how adaptations are implemented in practice and how service users experience those adaptations.

ABSTRACTWe assessed the Communities That Care Brief Depression Scale (CTC‐BDS) for measurement equivalence for Latinx and white youth by immigrant generation status. The sample consisted of 1779 youth (17.8% Latinx children of immigrants [COI], 9.3% Latinx children of non‐immigrants [CONI], 72.8% non‐Latinx white CONI) surveyed in sixth, eighth, tenth, and twelfth grades. We used one‐factor confirmatory factor analysis to examine equivalent assessment across groups at each grade and across all grades, testing configural, metric, and scalar equivalence. Individual and incremental model fit statistics were examined. We found evidence for both the one‐factor structure and for measurement equivalence of the CTC‐BDS across ethnicity and immigrant generation status, as well as grades over the course of adolescence. The CTC‐BDS is an appropriate measure in community monitoring and research to compare depressive symptoms in Latinx youth of varying immigrant generation statuses and white youth.

This study addressed gaps in community resilience (CR) literature by building on recent trans and nonbinary (TNB) CR models from an intersectional perspective to explore how Latinx TNB communities strategize to promote healthy functioning for their members amid ongoing healthcare stressors. In this secondary reflexive thematic analysis of a larger mixed-method sequential study, we analysed 40 semi-structured interviews and two focus groups with 15 participants (n = 55). Our analysis was grounded in cultural community resilience, the Multidimensional Model of TNB Resilience, and the Minority Stress Model. We identified four themes: (1) First Things First: Survival; (2) Connection with Purpose; (3) Agents of Change and Source of Strength; and (4) Knowledge is Power. Strategies included fostering sense of community, accessing community clinics, participating in community activities, and sharing information about TNB health. Findings encourage the mobilization of resources and advocate for changes to address the oppression faced by Latinx TNB communities.

Measuring community belonging is of interest to community organizations and practitioners, yet few tools exist. Here we validate a novel measure of community belonging: the Where I Belong Survey - Youth/Adult Version (WIBS). In Study 1, the psychometric properties and factor structure of the survey were examined in three Canadian samples of youth and young adults (n = 249; 840; 443, respectively), and results were used to refine the survey. In Study 2, the psychometric properties and factor structure of the revised 16-item WIBS were examined in a sample of Canadian undergraduates (n = 476). Results suggest the WIBS is psychometrically sound, as demonstrated through a pattern of excellent reliability, good convergent validity, and good to fair discriminant validity. Results revealed a two-factor solution with factors for Interpersonal Belonging and Context Belonging, consistent with prior theoretical work on community belonging.

Persistent educational disparities cast a long shadow on the future life chances of minoritized youth. Yet, structural inequities are hard to challenge as they are engrained in daily practices and habitual ways of relating in classrooms and schools. Looking beyond category-based group differences and educational disadvantage, recent psychological research documents a contextual and relational approach of positive psychosocial development, and highlights the pivotal role of inclusive school climates and relationship quality in the school belonging and achievement of minoritized youth in particular. The special issue advances this body of research by diversifying research settings, participants, data and designs, unpacking school contexts from multiple student, teacher and parent perspectives, centering critical reflection and agency in teachers, and intervening to foster alternate more equitable ways of relating in classroom interactions and learning. Future research may build on these advances to challenge structural inequities by cultivating context-sensitive and reflective research and teaching practices in schools, and by including emergent intersectional perspectives as critical sources of knowledge.

ABSTRACTWe aimed to expand understanding of provider/Veteran attitudes about resources and services that would mitigate Veteran homelessness. We analyzed qualitative data from the 2024 Community Homelessness Assessment, Local Education, and Networking Groups for Veterans survey. In all, 4,990 respondents completed the survey: 2,928 (59%) homeless program service providers, clinicians, and staff and 2,062 (41%) homeless experienced Veterans. Qualitative analysis identified six key themes, which included: 1) increasing affordable, safe housing options; 2) expanding Housing and Urban Development‐Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing; 3) increasing access to mental health resources and services; 4) more external support and collaborations; 5) increasing financial support and resources; and 6) increasing employment and job training. Providers prioritized mental health services, while Veterans more frequently emphasized needs such as housing and financial support. Veteran homelessness is complex and needs integrated approaches to service delivery that address unique challenges and improve overall outcomes.