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Postdoctoral Fellow in Social Work, Colorado State University

Jonah DeChants (he / him / his) is a graduate of the University of Denver's Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW). He uses community-based research methods to study the experiences of youth and young adults experiencing homelessness, particularly those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ). His dissertation is entitled Between a Rock and a Hard Place: A Grounded Theory Exploration of Queer and Trans Young Adults Navigating Family Rejection and Housing Instability and examines how LGBTQ youth survive family rejection of their LGBTQ identities and housing instability.

Prior to coming to GSSW, Jonah worked for the Philadelphia Department of Human Services, supervising a federal planning grant which examined risk and protective factors of homelessness among youth aging out of foster care. Jonah has also worked for the LGBT Center at the University of Pennsylvania and Seeding Change, of Kalamazoo, Michigan. He earned his Master of Social Policy from the University of Pennsylvania's School of Social Policy and Practice and his Bachelor of Arts from Kalamazoo College. He is also an alum of the AmeriCorps VISTA Program.

Experience

  • 2019–present
    Postdoctoral fellow, Colorado State University

Education

  • 2019 
    Univesrity of Denver , PhD
  • 2013 
    University of Pennsylvania, MS
  • 2009 
    Kalamazoo College, BA

Professional Memberships

  • Council on Social Work Education
  • Society for Social Work Research