Kristin Ferguson

Professor, School of Social Work (SSW)

Professor & Director, Center for Human Capital & Youth Development, Center for Human Capital and Youth Development (CHCYD)

Mail code: 3920

Campus: Dtphx
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Long Bio

Kristin Ferguson is a professor at the Arizona State University's School of Social Work and director of the Center for Human Capital and Youth Development. Her research focuses on the design, implementation, and evaluation of vocational interventions for homeless and opportunity youth that integrate employment and clinical services, including supported employment and social enterprises. Over the past two decades, she has focused her research primarily in two areas:

1) design, implementation and evaluation of supported employment and social enterprise interventions for homeless youth combined with assessment of intervention feasibility, effectiveness, and implementation; and

2) rigorous evaluation across seven U.S. cities to examine the environmental and psychosocial conditions affecting youth homelessness and unemployment.

Education

Ph.D. International Comparative Social Welfare Policy and Social Work, University of Texas at Arlington (Arlington, TX) and Autonomous University of Nuevo León (Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico)
M.S.W. Interpersonal Practice; minor: Community Organization, University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI)
B.A. Psychology; minor: Spanish, University of Virginia (Charlottesville, VA)

Curriculum Vitae

Research Group

REALYST is a national collaborative of academic and community partners that uses research to inform innovative policies, programs and services aimed at ending homelessness and housing instability among young people. We believe that understanding youth homelessness helps communities create effective solutions for preventing it.

REALYST: https://www.realyst.org/

Publications

Lee, W., & Ferguson, K. (In Press). The role of local businesses in addressing multidimensional needs of homeless populations. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment

Shelton, J., DeChants, J., Bender, K., Hsu, H-T., Santa Maria, D., Petering, R., Ferguson, K., Narendorf, S., & Barman-Adhikari, A. (2018). Homelessness and housing experiences among LGBTQ young adults in seven U.S. cities. CityScape, 20(3), 9-33. Available online at: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/periodicals/cityscpe/vol20num3/index.html

Santa Maria, D., Flash, C. A., Narendorf, S., Barman-Adhikari, A., Petering, R., Hsu, H-T., Shelton, J., Bender, K., & Ferguson, K. (2018). Knowledge and attitudes about PrEP among homeless young adults: Findings from 7 U.S. cities. Journal of Adolescent Health. Available through OnlineFirst at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2018.06.023

Santa Maria, D., Flash, C. A., Narendorf, S., Barman-Adhikari, A., Petering, R., Hsu, H-T., Shelton, J., Bender, K., & Ferguson, K. (2018). Implications for PrEP update in young adults experiencing homelessness: A mixed methods study. AIDS Education and Prevention-An Interdisciplinary Journal

Ferguson, K. (2018). Employment outcomes from a randomized controlled trial of two employment interventions with homeless youth. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research, 9(1), 1-21. doi:10.1086/696372

Ferguson, K., Teixeira, S., Wernick, L., & S., Burghardt, S. (2018). Macro therapeutic interventions: The impact of macro-level interventions on mental health. Journal of Social Work, 18(6), 679-702. https://doi-org.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/10.1177/1468017318757160

Helderop, E., Ferguson, K., Grubesic, A., & Bender, K. (2018). Predicting homeless young adults’ movement: Artificial neural networks and generalized linear models. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research, 9(1), 89-106. doi:10.1086/696129

Ferguson, K., Bender, K., & Thompson, S. J. (2018). Risk and resilience factors associated with formal and informal income generation among homeless young adults in three U.S. cities. Youth & Society, 50(3), 351-376. https://doi.org/10.1177/0044118X15600722

Kim, Y., Bender, K., Ferguson, K., Begun, S., & DiNitto, D. (2018). Understanding trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder among homeless young adults: the importance of victimization experiences in childhood and once homeless. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 26(3) 131-142. https://doi-org.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/10.1177/1063426617710239

Ferguson, K. (2017). Nonvocational outcomes from a randomized controlled trial of two employment interventions for homeless youth. Research on Social Work Practice. doi:10.1177/1049731517709076

Ferguson, K., Helderop, E., Bender, K., & Grubesic, A. (2016). Predicting geographic transience in homeless young adults across three U.S. cities: Who are these frequent flyers and distance travelers? Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 26(7-8), 648-663. doi:10.1080/10911359.2016.1252706

Ferguson, K. (2016). From victims of market forces to entrepreneurs: Rethinking the role of supported employment and social entrepreneurship in behavioral health interventions. Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership & Governance, 40(4), 397-409. doi:10.1080/23303131.2016.1157115

Ferguson, K., Bender, K., & Thompson, S. J. (2016). Predicting illegal income generation among homeless male and female young adults: Understanding strains and responses to strains. Children and Youth Services Review, 63, 101-109. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2016.02.016

Maccio, E. M., & Ferguson, K. (2016). Services to LGBTQ runaway and homeless youth: Gaps and recommendations. Children and Youth Services Review, 63, 47-57. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2016.02.008

Ferguson, K., Bender, K., & Thompson, S. J. (2015). Gender, coping strategies, homelessness stressors, and income generation among homeless young adults in three cities. Social Science and Medicine, 135, 47-55. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.04.028

Ferguson, K., & Maccio, E. M. (2015). Promising programs for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning runaway and homeless youths. Journal of Social Service Research, 41(5), 659-683. doi:10.1080/01488376.2015.1058879

Research Activity

Principal Investigator. Opportunities for Youth Initiative. Funded by the Ellis Center for Educational Excellence. (2019-present)

Principal Investigator. Employer Engagement and Youth Outreach/Retention Strategy in Phoenix. Funded by the National Philanthropic Trust and National 100K Opportunities Initiative. (2019-present)

Principal Investigator. Increasing income and wealth of middle-income households with opportunity youth in Maricopa County through a Workforce Engagement Center at Desert Sky Mall. Funded by Schmidt Futures. (2018-present)

Principal Investigator. Manufacturing Apprenticeship Program. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Performance Partnership Pilot for Disconnected Youth Award. (2018-present)

Courses

2023 Fall

Course Number	Course Title
SWG 531	Social Policy and Services
SWG 531	Social Policy and Services

2023 Spring

Course Number	Course Title
SWG 585	Macro Social Work Practice

2022 Fall

Course Number	Course Title
SWG 531	Social Policy and Services

2021 Fall

Course Number	Course Title
SWG 531	Social Policy and Services
SWG 682	Community Participation Strats

2021 Spring

Course Number	Course Title
SWG 682	Community Participation Strats

2020 Fall

Course Number	Course Title
SWG 531	Social Policy and Services

2020 Spring

Course Number	Course Title
SWG 682	Community Participation Strats

2019 Fall

Course Number	Course Title
SWG 531	Social Policy and Services

2019 Spring

Course Number	Course Title
SWG 682	Community Participation Strats

Editorships

Editorial Board Reviewer, Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research

Guest Reviewer, Journal of Research on Adolescence

Guest Reviewer, Journal of Primary Prevention

Guest Reviewer, Nonprofit Management and Leadership

Guest Reviewer, Journal of Juvenile Justice

Guest Reviewer, Youth & Society

Service

Co-Chair, Policy, Administration, and Community Practice (PAC) Curriculum Committee, ASU School of Social Work

Faculty Advisor, School of Social Work Standards Committee

Member, Doctoral Committee, ASU School of Social Work

Faculty Affiliate, Southwest Interdisciplinary Research Center (SIRC), ASU School of Social Work

Expertise Areas

Homelessness

Social Entrepreneurship

Unemployment Issues

Youth Development

Mental Health: Youth

Youth Education Development