People experiencing homelessness often present to social service providers with trauma histories. As they seek services, their service providers may be secondarily exposed to their clients' trauma, ...thereby impacting the level of care these service providers are able to offer. Unfortunately, little research examines the stress burden carried by homelessness service providers, nor the factors that contribute to their stress burden. The purpose of this mixed methods study, therefore, is to characterize the secondary traumatic stress (STS) reported by individuals who provide direct services to people experiencing homelessness, and to explore the workplace experiences that may underlie, influence, or mitigate this stress. The study relies upon a sample of direct service providers and program managers who work with people experiencing homelessness. The authors collected data on STS and workplace stress via a web-based survey (n = 122) and focus group interviews (n = 21). The results of this study suggest that homelessness service providers carry a substantial stress burden. Findings further point towards administrative strategies that may improve service providers' stress burdens, and potentially improve the service quality provided by agencies serving homeless populations.
AbstractIn the accompanying article, Mosites et al. (Am J Epidemiol. 2021;190(11):2432–2436) evaluate data sources that enumerate people experiencing homelessness in the United States with respect to ...their strengths and limitations for conducting epidemiologic research in homeless populations. We largely agree with their key arguments, yet offer additional points that provide important context about these data for researchers and other stakeholders. Overall, we believe that it is possible to address many of the noted shortcomings of these data, and once addressed, the data could be more effectively leveraged to improve the health, housing stability, and quality of life of people experiencing homelessness.
U kontekstu ugroženoga stanovanja (beskucništva i stambene iskljucenosti), perspektiva životnoga tijeka, koncept stambenih karijera i putova stanovanja stavlja naglasak na razlicita životna ...iskustva, diferencijalne okolnosti i na društvene kontekste dolaska u takvu situaciju, ovisno o životnoj dobi. Na tom tragu, u istraživanju su identificirani dominantni dogadaji i okolnosti koji su obilježili dolazak osoba u neku od ugroženih stambenih situacija u: a) mladosti i ranoj srednjoj životnoj dobi, b) kasnoj srednjoj životnoj dobi i c) starosti. Istraživanje je provedeno od prosinca 2021. do veljace 2022. godine na podrucju grada Novog Sada (Republika Srbija). U istraživanju je sudjelovalo 35 ispitanika koji se nalaze u nekoj od ugroženih stambenih situacija. Primijenjeno je prigodno, namjerno i tzv. snowball uzorkovanje, a potrebni podaci prikupljeni su polustandardiziranim, dubinskim intervjuom. Dobiveni rezultati upucuju na višestrukost i kumulativnost nepovoljnih obilježja u životnim putanjama osoba u ugroženom stanovanju, kao i specificnost nepovoljnih okolnosti, ovisno o životnoj dobi. Zakljucno, istraživanjem su potvrdeni nalazi prijašnje literature u domeni životne povijesti ugroženoga stanovanja i upozoreno je na moguce pravce unapredenja razumijevanja ove tematike. Kljucne rijeci: životni tijek, ugroženo stanovanje, višestruka deprivacija, individualna obilježja, strukturni faktori In the context of vulnerable housing situations (homelessness and housing exclusion), the life course perspective, the concept of housing careers and housing pathways emphasise different life experiences, differential circumstances, and the social contexts of arriving at such a position, depending on age. Keeping this in perspective, the research identified the dominant events and circumstances that marked people's descent into one of the vulnerable housing situations across: a) youth and early middle age, b) late middle age, and c) old age. The study was conducted between December 2021 and February 2022 in the city of Novi Sad (Republic of Serbia). 35 respondents who are in one of the vulnerable housing situations took part in the research. Convenience, purposive and snowball sampling were applied, and the data was collected through a semi-standardised, in-depth interview. The obtained results indicate the multiplicity and cumulativeness of adverse events and characteristics in the life trajectories of persons in vulnerable housing, as well as the specificity of unfavourable circumstances depending on age. In conclusion, the research confirmed the findings of previous literature in the domain of the life history of vulnerable housing and indicated possible directions for improving the understanding of this topic. Keywords: life course, vulnerable housing, multiple deprivation, individual characteristics, structural factors
Across the Western world, full membership of society is established through entitlements to space and formalized in the institutions of property and citizenship. Those without such entitlements are ...deemed less than fully human as they struggle to find a place where they can symbolically and physically exist. Written by an anthropologist who accidentally found herself homeless, The Ethics of Space is an unprecedented account of what happens when homeless people organize to occupy abandoned properties. Set against the backdrop of economic crisis, austerity, and a disintegrating British state, Steph Grohmann tells the story of a flourishing squatter community in the city of Bristol and how it was eventually outlawed by the state. The first ethnography of homelessness done by a researcher who was formally homeless throughout fieldwork, this volume explores the intersection between spatial existence, subjectivity, and ethics. The result is a book that rethinks how ethical views are shaped and constructed through our own spatial existences.
With the dawn of the COVID-19 pandemic and concern regarding the subsequent vulnerabilities of houseless populations, countries have sought to adapt and enhance emergency housing policies with a view ...of better protecting this population. Drawing on the poverty management perspective, this article focuses on local government and its role in managing houselessness during the COVID-19 pandemic. It achieves this by treating local council meetings as sites of problematization, in which the management of houselessness is rationalized and solutions negotiated. We transcribed local council meetings in Bristol, England and Edmonton, Canada, for an 18-month period from March 2020. Our analysis found that a common set of ‘problem spaces’ - systems, strategic opportunism and power - were evoked by municipal officials in both cities. Under the umbrella of ‘doing what we can’, local councils: conceptualized houselessness as complex and systemic; identified what does and does not work; discussed jurisdictional limitations and their impact; and defended new forms of accommodation. Significantly, despite the discursive desire to ‘build back better’, and a slightly rebalanced poverty management landscape in terms of care and control, local governments alone were unable to end houselessness within the post-COVID city.
The most vulnerable group in public spaces are homeless people. Their use of public space, especially during the corona pandemic, has not yet been researched. The authors reconstruct it using the ...example of the city of Cologne within the framework of a participatory study and consider data from questionnaires, GPS tracking, interviews and photography. The volume presents the innovative study and the methodological approach, bundles the extensive quantitative and qualitative findings of the study and thus makes a contribution to the theory and practice of social work with homeless people.
Die am stärksten gefährdete Gruppe im öffentlichen Raum sind obdachlose Menschen. Ihr Raumnutzungsverhalten, insbesondere während der Coronapandemie, wurde bislang kaum erforscht. Die Autor*innen rekonstruieren es am Beispiel der Stadt Köln im Rahmen einer partizipativ angelegten Studie und betrachten vereinend Daten aus Fragebögen, GPS-Tracking, Interviews und Fotografie. Der Band stellt die innovative Studie und das methodische Vorgehen vor, bündelt ihre umfangreichen quantitativen und qualitativen Ergebnisse und liefert damit einen Beitrag zur Theorie und Praxis der Sozialen Arbeit mit wohnungslosen Menschen.
•Interventions for pregnant youth and young mothers facing housing instability or homelessness primarily focus on offering housing alongside support services.•When housing interventions incorporate ...supportive elements like case management, notable enhancement in health and employment outcomes for the youth are noted compared to housing-only initiatives.•Interventions offering in-home or school-based parental support yield positive outcomes for participants.•Interventions for pregnant youth and young mothers facing homelessness are crucial, not only for their well-being but also to reduce the intergenerational risk of homelessness for their children.
Pregnant youth and young mothers facing housing instability or homelessness encounter unique challenges that result in adverse health, educational, and employment consequences for both them and their children. This systematic review aimed to consolidate the available evidence on effective and promising interventions to prevent homelessness amongst youth who are pregnant or young mothers with children under 6 years old and assist those facing homelessness. This review encompassed 10 studies that revolved around two primary themes: housing and supportive services, such as case management (n = 6), and parental services, including childcare provision or parenting classes (n = 4). We found that housing strategies incorporating counselling and case management notably enhanced participants' substance use patterns, mental health, healthcare access, and employment trajectories. Comparatively, housing services without supportive services did not lead to improvements within the participants. Parental services such as family home visits significantly reduced homelessness for participating families. School-based programs that offer childcare and supportive services improved maternal academic outcomes, reduced the incidence of subsequent pregnancies, and fostered positive parenting practices. Mobile technology also appeared promising in enhancing the emotional and behavioural capabilities of the youth. In conclusion, interventions targeting young expectant individuals and mothers, whether at risk or already experiencing homelessness, primarily emphasize housing combined with supportive services and parenting assistance.
Homelessness represents an enduring public health threat facing communities across the developed world. Children, families, and marginalized adults face life course implications of housing ...insecurity, while communities struggle to address the extensive array of needs within heterogeneous homeless populations. Trends in homelessness remain stubbornly high despite policy initiatives to end homelessness. A complex systems perspective provides insights into the dynamics underlying coordinated responses to homelessness. A constant demand for housing assistance strains service delivery, while prevention efforts remain inconsistently implemented in most countries. Feedback processes challenge efficient service delivery. A system dynamics model tests assumptions of policy interventions for ending homelessness. Simulations suggest that prevention provides a leverage point within the system; small efficiencies in keeping people housed yield disproportionately large reductions in homelessness. A need exists for policies that ensure reliable delivery of coordinated prevention efforts. A complex systems approach identifies capacities and constraints for sustainably solving homelessness.
Foreword by Nan Roman, President and CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness This book explains how to end the U.S. homelessness crisis by bringing together the best scholarship on the ...subject and sharing solutions that both local communities and national policy-makers can apply now. In the Midst of Plenty shifts understanding of homelessness away from individual disability to larger contexts of poverty, income inequality, housing affordability, and social exclusion. Homelessness experts Shinn and Khadduri provide guidance on how to end homelessness for people who experience it and how to prevent so many people from reaching the point where they have no alternative to sleeping on the street or in emergency shelters. The authors show that we know how to end homelessness—if we devote the necessary resources to doing so. In the Midst of Plenty: Homelessness and What to Do About It is an excellent resource for policy-makers, professionals in the homeless services system, and anyone else who wants to end homelessness. It also can serve as a text in undergraduate or masters courses in public policy, sociology, psychology, social work, urban studies, or housing policy. "The knowledgeable and thoughtful authors of this book—two brilliant women who know as much as anyone in the country about the nature of homelessness and its solutions—have done a great service by taking us on a journey through the history of homelessness, how our responses have changed, and how we can end it." — Nan Roman, President and CEO National Alliance to End Homelessness. "Shinn and Khadduri's new book is a thorough yet concise examination of what we know about the nature and causes of homelessness, and the crucial lessons learned. This critically important work provides a roadmap to restoring basic housing and income security as viable policy options, in the face of our daunting inequality divide that otherwise threatens millions with destitution and homelessness." — Dennis Culhane, Dana and Andrew Stone Professor of Social Policy, University of Pennsylvania "Marybeth Shinn and Jill Khadduri have combined their significant expertise to create an essential guide about the history of modern homelessness and to offer a clear path forward to end this American tragedy. Their policy recommendations on ending homelessness are culled from the best about what we know works." — Barbara Poppe, Executive Director US Interagency Council on Homeless, 2009-2014
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