“My dreams now have colour”: An exploration of homeless young people’s experiences of the ‘Planning Alternative Tomorrows with Hope’ (PATH)

Homeless young people (HYP) are among the most vulnerable and at-risk groups in society. Between 2023 and 2024, approximately 118,000 young individuals in the UK approached local authorities for support with homelessness or the risk of becoming homeless. Despite the scale and complexity of their needs, professionals, including Educational Psychologists (EPs), often report limited confidence and clarity in how best to support this population. Existing literature highlights an urgent need for practical, targeted interventions tailored specifically to HYP. This study explored the use of Planning Alternative Tomorrows with Hope (PATH), a visual, goal-oriented tool designed to promote motivation, aspirations, and agency. Although widely used in other contexts, its application with HYP has not previously been investigated. By centring the experiences of HYP who engaged with the PATH, this research addresses a critical gap in the evidence base. Four young people aged 16-19 participated in a PATH session followed by a semi-structured interview. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) revealed six group experiential themes: The Power of Imagery, “This PATH is Me”, Stepping into the Future, The Influence of Others, Bridging the Abstract with the Practical, and Parts Create the Whole. Framed through Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, the findings challenge deficit-based narratives that limit HYP’s potential, demonstrating the importance of supporting higher-order needs alongside basic ones. This novel study contributes to a more hopeful, solution-focused discourse around HYP. It calls on EPs and professionals to foster supportive, aspirational spaces where all young people, regardless of housing status, can feel safe, access education equitably, and reclaim futures too often denied. Implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.