The Action Research Podcast · University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work

Supporting Young Adults Transitioning Into Housing: Building Charge Up!

·43 min·4 clips

Discover how the HEAR Lab uses anti-racist research to foster social change beyond traditional academia.

This episode of The Action Research Podcast features Dr. Sarah Narendorff and PhD student Marcus Brown discussing their community-engaged work supporting young adults. Dr. Narendorff is an associate dean whose research focuses on ensuring marginalized young people can thrive in the transition to adulthood. Marcus Brown is a licensed clinical social worker and mental health practitioner bringing over a decade of direct experience to the research team. Their project specifically aims to create an intervention for young adults exiting systems like foster care, those who have experienced homelessness, or those involved with the juvenile justice system. The research methodology is participatory action research, which actively involves community members as co-researchers rather than just subjects. A core component of their work involves conducting "walk-and-learns," where researchers and community partners physically walk through neighborhoods to understand environmental contexts. The team also produces accessible research outputs like one-page briefs and webinars to ensure findings reach beyond academia. One key insight is that traditional research often extracts data from communities without giving back, which this team's methodology explicitly seeks to avoid. Marcus Brown emphasizes the critical importance of researchers having "lived experience" or deep practice history with the populations they study. The project operates on the principle that research should feel reciprocal and directly useful to the community partners involved. A surprising claim is that academic articles alone are often an ineffective and even exclusionary way to disseminate social work research. The team argues that practical tools like policy briefs and community forums have greater transformative potential than journal publications. Dr. Narendorff explains that a successful transition to adulthood requires support in multiple life domains beyond just housing, including education and social connection. The episode reveals that the intervention being developed is intentionally flexible to adapt to the unique needs of different young adults and communities. A memorable moment is the emphasis on research as an active tool for "social change" rather than a passive observational exercise. The tone is educational and conversational, blending academic concepts with practical fieldwork examples. The style is explicitly advocacy-oriented, framing research as a collaborative force for anti-racist and equitable policy. Listeners interested in participatory methodologies, social work practice, or community-based research would find this episode highly valuable. Those seeking a detached, theoretical discussion of social science might find its applied and activist focus less aligned with their interests.

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from The Action Research Podcast