Social network correlates of education and employment service use among youth experiencing homelessness: A longitudinal study

•Indegree centrality was associated with education service use.•Positive staff relationships and outdegree were associated with employment service use.•Education, housing, LGBTQ+ identity and location were associated with service use. Youth experiencing homelessness (YEH) face significant obstacles to educational achievement and gainful employment. Drop-in centers offer support services to facilitate these opportunities, but there remains a need to understand which youth are most likely to use them. The present study used a diffusion of innovations framework to examine social network correlates of service use over a three-month period. Positive staff relationships, personal network exposure, and structural network measures were examined. Participants were 253 YEH (Mage = 21.9, SD = 2.2) participating in an HIV-prevention trial at three drop-in centers in Los Angeles. Surveys were completed at baseline (wave 1), 1-month (wave 2) and 3-months (wave 3) post-baseline. Individual characteristics and sociometric network ties to other youth were assessed. Cross-sectional and lagged logistic regression models were used to identify significant network correlates of service use. A significant minority of YEH used education (23.6%) or employment (33.7%) services at wave 1, with modest increases at waves 2 and 3. Indegree centrality was associated with education service use at wave 1 (OR = 1.30, 95% CI[1.04, 1.64]). Positive staff relationships were associated with employment service use at wave 1 (OR = 2.05, 95% CI[1.06, 2.99]), and outdegree was associated with employment service use at wave 3 (OR = 1.69, 95% CI[1.13, 2.55]). In addition, education level, housing situation, LGBTQ+ identity, drop-in center location, and duration of drop-in center use were related to service usage. Youth who occupy more central network positions and/or report positive relationships with staff are more likely to use higher-level drop-in services. Network approaches to engaging youth in services should be considered along with other individual and contextual factors.