Attach D Focus Group Brochure

(OMB Control # 0970-0356, Expiration date 01/31/2015)

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE?

Attachment D: Focus Group Brochure

Street Outreach
Program Data
Collection Project

Your participation would involve one focus
group session that lasts 1.0-1.5 hours. We
will conduct the focus group at [AGENCY].
You will be provided a $20.00 gift card in
appreciation for your time. You can leave the
focus group at any time, but you won’t
receive the $20 unless you finish most of the
focus group.

OUTREACH PROJECT
Focus Group
2012-2013

IS EVERYTHING PRIVATE?

All information you give us is kept strictly
private. By agreeing to be part of the study,
you and the other young people in the focus
group agree to not discuss with anyone else
things said during the focus group after the
focus group ends. The information you share
with us will only be used for this project and
will never be used for anything else.
WHAT HAPPENS TO THIS INFORMATION?

The information from this study will be used
to design programs to help homeless youth
and young adults with housing, education,
healthcare, counseling services, and other
important needs.

If you have any questions,
please call the project manager,
Devan Crawford at 1-888-567-5285

[AGENCY NAME]
in partnership with
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln
and
The Family and Youth Services Bureau

(OMB Control # 0970-0356, Expiration date 01/31/2015)

WHAT IS THE STREET OUTREACH PROJECT?

We are doing a study to understand the
needs of homeless youth and young adults.
You have been randomly selected as one of
the 62 individuals we will be talking with in
[CITY]. If you are a youth or young adult
currently without permanent housing we
would like you to participate in a focus
group as part our study.
This important study involves talking to
runaway and homeless youth in 11 cities. It
is one of the most far-reaching studies of
homelessness among young people in the
nation.
The information we collect while talking
with you will help us identify what kinds of
services will best help young people who do
not have permanent housing.
By participating in the focus group you will
be providing us with valuable information
about your childhood history, your life
experiences, and your housing history
which will help us provide agencies in your
area with helpful information about how to
better serve you and your community. Our
hope is that agencies in your area can use
this information to increase the quality of
life of homeless young people in and
around the [CITY] metro area.

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?

Only young people age 14-21 without a
permanent place to stay in each of the
cities can participate. Participation is
voluntary. The individuals who
participate in the focus groups will be
selected by [AGENCY].
WHAT WILL WE ASK YOU TO DO?

WHAT KINDS OF QUESTIONS ARE ASKED?

We will talk to you about many different
topics during the focus group. During the
focus group, you may share as little or as
much as you want for each question.
You may choose not to answer any
question that makes you uncomfortable
or that you do not want to answer.
We will ask you about:

Specially-trained project staff members
will set up a convenient time, date, and
location for you and about five other
homeless young people to meet in a
confidential location. They will ask the
group questions and use an audiorecorder so the conversations can be
typed to text. The typed data from the
focus group will be analyzed at the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln and
deidentified information will be sent back
to agencies in your city.
Your responses will be linked to you with
ONLY a random ID number. Your name
will not be linked to your answers. All
responses will be private and your
answers will not be shared with anyone.
Agencies will not be allowed to see your
individual responses.


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Your thoughts and feelings
Your relationships and family
Your own behaviors and emotions
How you became homeless
Where you have been staying
What has happened to you since you
have been without permanent
housing
 Your healthcare and counseling needs

We are also very interested in the
services offered to homeless people
your age in your city. We want to know
which services you utilize and why. We
also want to know about the services
that you do not use, and why you don’t
use those services. The focus group
conversation will allow you to talk about
services you want, need, or would like
to see improved.