Initial Validation of the Barrier Assessment for Practice with Students Experiencing Homelessness (BAPSEH)

Background: Children and their families account for nearly one-third of the US homeless population (Henry, et al, 2020). These numbers are expected to increase, putting many children and youth at risk for poor educational outcomes. Homelessness is a transient experience which brings a host of barriers to educational opportunities (Canfield, 2026). Eliminating barriers is central to school-based practices with students experiencing homelessness and is embedded within the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (MVA), the federal response to homelessness (Canfield, 2026). The MVA mandates educational agencies to employ homeless liaisons who are tasked with facilitating the policy (42 U.S.C. § 11432(g)(7)). These school-based practitioners are tasked with upholding the right to education through eliminating barriers to educational pursuit for students experiencing homelessness (42 U.S. Code § 11431). Theoretically, barriers to practice mirror those faced by students experiencing homelessness (Canfield, 2014). Previous study has identified barrier types (Canfield, 2014; Groton, et al., 2013), but no measure has been validated. The purpose of this study is to examine the initial psychometric properties of the Barrier Assessment for Practice with Students Experiencing Homelessness (BAPSEH).

Methods: Data were collected from two separate samples using online survey methodology. The first sample (N=304) was collected from a list of every publicly available homeless liaison email address in the United States. The second sample (N=235) was obtained from a national school social work organization’s listserv.

Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) using Maximum Likelihood extraction and oblique rotation was conducted using data from the homeless liaison sample. We used eigenvalue-greater-than-one criteria, visual inspection of the scree plot, and examination of items for factor loadings communalities to determine an initial factor structure. We then conducted a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using the sample of school social workers to support our EFA findings.

Results: The EFA identified a twelve-item, three-factor structure. We tentatively named the factors, School-Based Barriers (SBB), General Homelessness Barriers (GHB), and Community Relations Barriers (CRB). The CFA identified two items with low factor loadings, one item in each SBB and GHB, so a respecified model with those two items eliminated was run. The respecified factor structure had strong model fit across several criteria.

Cronbach’s alpha was calculated for each factor in both the EFA and CFA, finding acceptable levels of internal consistency, with alpha scores ranging from .711 to .785.

Implications: The findings suggest that a three-factor structure of SBB, GHB, and CRB is appropriate for assessing perceived barriers to practice with students experiencing homelessness. Future studies can further examine the psychometric properties of the BAPSEH to see if the factor structure holds up under different circumstances. Given that barriers to practice mirror those students experiencing homelessness face when pursuing education, future studies can potentially utilize this measure as a proxy outcome for evaluation efforts. The ability to assess such an important outcome can greatly help our research and clinical understanding of interventions designed to assist students experiencing homelessness.