This publication documents the findings of a qualitative longitudinal study of youth homelessness in Ireland. Initiated in 2013, the research aimed to ‘track’ homeless young people over time in order to more fully understand their trajectories through and possibly out of homelessness. A key aim was to generate in-depth knowledge and understanding of the factors, processes and dynamics that impact the housing transitions of homeless young people over time. The research makes an innovative departure from previous qualitative longitudinal studies of youth homelessness, both in Ireland and elsewhere, by including the views and perspectives of a family member of approximately one quarter of the study’s young people.

The findings presented in Chapters 3–7 are concerned primarily with uncovering the drivers of young people’s ‘journeys’ through homelessness, with specific attention directed to their experiences of accessing housing.