Mallory VanMeeterGraduate Student

Biography

I use mixed methods research to elevate community-led solutions to social issues, directing resources from institutions to strengthen informal support networks. I engage in queer, feminist, and anti-racist praxis by centering marginalized voices as experts and change-makers in their communities. My current research focuses on community-based housing for youth and young adults facing homelessness, like host home programs and informal couch hopping. I explore the structural, organizational, and interpersonal conditions that influence these housing approaches. Through this work, I hope to help identify and remove barriers to stability that youth and their adult allies face.

Education

BA, Anthropology and Gender and Sexuality Studies, University of Chicago

Publications

Curry, S., VanMeeter, M., Tully, B.A., Ault, S., Garst, N., Adam, K., Nesmith, A., White, J. (2020). Beyond a bed: Supportive connections forged between youth who are couch hopping and adult hosts. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal.