Social Workers’ and Homeless People’s Understanding of Ways to Redress Homelessness
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25159/2708-9355/9997Keywords:
social worker, homeless people, homelessness, marginalisation, collaborationAbstract
Homeless people are arguably the most marginalised and vulnerable of communities. The marginalisation of homeless people not only occurs in economic and social terms, but also with respect to participation in the process of service delivery and decisions that affect them. Consequently, some researchers have identified the disjuncture between services offered to homeless people and their needs. In this article, using a qualitative, exploratory and descriptive approach, we explore the understanding of social workers and homeless people in redressing homelessness. We used face-to-face semi-structured interviews to generate data. The data were analysed thematically. The findings indicate that social workers’ and homeless people’s accounts of understanding and redressing homelessness are contradictory. Conversely, collaboration between social workers and homeless people could create an informed understanding of homelessness and the opportunity for the two parties to learn from each other.
Metrics
References
Anthony, I. 2014. “Meeting the Challenge: Responding to Health Care Needs of Homeless Youth.” Clinical Paediatrics 53 (1): 38–40. https://doi.org/10.1177/0009922813499067. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0009922813499067
Benjaminsen, L. 2016. “Homelessness in a Scandinavian Welfare State: The Risk of Shelter Use in the Danish Adult Population.” Urban Studies 53 (10): 2041–63. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042098015587818. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0042098015587818
Busch-Geertsena, V., D. Gilhane, and S. Fitzpatrick. 2016. “Developing a Global Framework for Conceptualising and Measuring Homelessness.” Habitat International 55: 124–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2016.03.004. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2016.03.004
Castaños-Cervantes, S., B. Turnbull, and J. Aguilar-Villalobos. 2018. “Psychosocial Differences Between Mexican Girls at Risk of Homelessness and Those Unsheltered, Sheltered or Emergency Sheltered.” Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies 13 (1): 72–80. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1080/17450128.2017.1367111. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17450128.2017.1367111
Chamberlain, K., and D. Hodgetts. 2018. Collecting Qualitative Data with Hard-to-Reach Groups. Handbook of Qualitative Data Collection. London: Sage. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781526416070.n42. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4135/9781526416070.n42
Chitekwe-Biti, B. 2009. “Struggles for Urban Land by the Zimbabwe Homeless People’s Federation.” Environ Urban 21 (2): 347–66. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956247809343764. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0956247809343764
Clapton, J., L. Chenoweth, D. McAuliffe, N. Clement, and C. Perry. 2014. “Precarious Social Inclusion: Chronic Homelessness and Impaired Decision-Making Capacity.” Journal of Social Distress and the Homeless 23 (1): 32–41. https://doi.org/10.1179/1573658X14Y.0000000004. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1179/1573658X14Y.0000000004
Colbry, S., M. Hurwitz, and R. Adair. 2014. “Collaboration Theory.” Journal of Leadership Education 13 (14): 63–75. https://doi.org/10.12806/v13/14/c8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.12806/V13/I4/C8
Cowen, J. M. 2017. “Who Are the Homeless? Student Mobility and Achievement in Michigan 2010–2013.” Educational Researcher 46 (1): 33–43. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X17694165. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X17694165
Creswell, J. W. 2016. 30 Essential Skills for the Qualitative Researcher. London: Sage.
Daya, S., and N. Wilkins. 2012. “The Body, the Shelter, and the Shebeen: An Effective Geography of Homelessness in South Africa.” Cultural Geography 20 (3): 357–78. https://doi.org/10.1177/1474474012469886. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1474474012469886
De Beer, S., and R. Vally. 2015. “(Finding) Pathways Out Of Homelessness: An Engaged, Transdisciplinary Collaborative in the City of Tshwane.” Development Southern Africa 34 (4): 385–98. https://doi.org/10.1080/0376835X.2017.1319261. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0376835X.2017.1319261
Donley, A., and E. Jackson. 2014. “Blending In: The Presentation of Self Among Homeless Males in a Gentrifying Environment.” Theory in Action 7 (1): 46–64. https://doi.org/10.3798/tia.1937-0237.14003. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3798/tia.1937-0237.14003
Du Toit, J. L. 2010. “Local Metropolitan Government Responses to Homelessness in South Africa.” Development Southern Africa 27 (1): 110–28. https://doi.org/10.1080/03768350903519390. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03768350903519390
Emery, F. E., and E. L. Trist. 1965. “The Causal Texture of Organisational Environments.” Human Relations 18: 21–32. https://doi.org/10.1177/001872676501800103. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/001872676501800103
Funk, L. M., and K. M. Kobayashi. 2014. “From Motivations to Accounts: An Interpretive Analysis of ‘Living Apart Together’ Relationships in Mid- to Later-Life Couples.” Journal of Family Issues 37 (8): 1101–22. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X14529432. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X14529432
Gajda, R. 2004. “Utilizing Collaboration Theory to Evaluate Strategic Alliance.” American Journal of Evaluation 25 (1): 65–77. https://doi.org/10.1177/109821400402500105. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ameval.2003.11.002
Ghosh, S. 2020. “Understanding Homelessness in Neoliberal City: A Study from Delhi.” Journal of Asian and African Studies 55 (2): 285–97. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021909619875775. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0021909619875775
Gray, B. 1985. “Conditions Facilitating Inter Organisational Collaboration.” Human Relations 38 (10): 911–36. https://doi.org/10.1177/001872678503801001. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/001872678503801001
Gray, B., and D. J. Wood. 1991. “Collaborative Alliances: Moving from Practice to Theory.” Journal of Applied Behavioural Science 27 (1): 3–22. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021886391271001. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0021886391271001
Gregory, K., N. Nnawulezi, and C. M. Sullivan. 2017. “Understanding How Domestic Violence Shelter Rules May Influence Survivor Empowerment.” Journal of Interpersonal Violence 36 (1–2): NP402–NP423. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260517730561. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260517730561
Grove, S. K., N. Burns, and J. Gray. 2012. The Practice of Nursing Research: Appraisal, Synthesis, and Generation of Evidence. 7th ed. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Hardin, J., and D. E. Wille. 2017. “The Homeless Individuals’ Viewpoint: Homelessness Causes and Resources Needed to Leave the Sheltered Environment.” Social Work and Social Sciences Review 19 (2): 33–48. https://doi.org/10.1921/swssr.v19i2.1059. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1921/swssr.v19i2.1059
HSRC (Human Sciences Research Council). 2010. “A Multidisciplinary Study of Homelessness Between 2005 and 2008.” Development Southern Africa 27 (1).
Kam, P. K. 2019. “‘Social Work Is Not Just a Job’: The Qualities of Social Workers from the Perspective of Service Users.” Journal of Social Work 20 (6): 775–96. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1468017319848109. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1468017319848109
Kegan, M. 2016. “Public Attitudes and Knowledge About Social Workers in Israel.” Journal of Social Work 16 (3): 322–43. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468017315572937. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1468017315572937
Knestaut, M., M. A. Devine, and B. Verlezza. 2010. “’It gives me purpose’: The Use of Dance with Individuals Experiencing Homelessness.” Therapeutic Recreational Journal 4: 289–301.
Kok, P., C. Cross, and N. Roux. 2010. “Towards a Demographic Profile of the Street Homeless in South Africa.” Development Southern Africa 27 (1): 21–37. https://doi.org/10.1080/03768350903519309. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03768350903519309
Komla, F. T. 2013, 3 April. “Homelessness in Ghana: Is It My Problem?” GhanaWeb. https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/features/Homelessness-in-Ghana-Is-it-my-Problem-269760.
Lasker, R. D., and E. S. Weiss. 2003. “Broadening Participation in Community Problem Solving: A Multidisciplinary Model to Support Collaborative Practice and Research.” Journal of Urban Health: Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine 80 (1): 14–47. https://doi.org/10.1093/jurban/jtg014. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jurban/jtg014
Maeseele, T., M. Bouverne-De Bie, and R. Roose. 2013. “On the Frontline or on the Side-Line? Homelessness Care and Care Avoiders.” European Journal of Social Work 16 (5): 620–34. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691457.2012.732932. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13691457.2012.732932
Makusha, T., L. Richter, L. Knight, H. van Rooyen, and D. Bhana. 2013. “’The Good and the Bad?’ Childhood Experiences with Fathers and Their Influence on Women’s Expectations and Men’s Experiences of Fathering in Rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.” Fathering: A Journal of Theory, Research & Practice about Men as Fathers 11 (2). https://doi.org/10.3149/fth.1102.138. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3149/fth.1102.138
Meiklejohn, S. J., L. Barbour, and C. E. Palermo. 2017. “An Impact Evaluation of the FoodMate Programme: Perspectives of Homeless Young People and Staff.” Health Education Journal 76 (7): 829–41. https://doi.org/10.1177/0017896917715780. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0017896917715780
National Alliance to End Homelessness. 2022. “The State of Homelessness in America.” Accessed 28 January 2022. https://endhomelessness.org/homelessness-in-america/homelessness-statistics/state-of-homelessness-report.
Nemiroff, R., T. Aubry, and F. Klodawsky. 2011. “From Homelessness to Community: Psychological Integration of Females with Experienced Homelessness.” Journal of Community Psychology 39 (8): 1003–18. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.20486. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.20486
Oliver, V., and R. Cheff. 2014. “The Social Network: Homeless Young Women, Social Capital, and the Health Implications of Belonging Outside the Nuclear Family.” Youth & Society 46 (5): 642–62. https://doi.org/10.1177/0044118X12448801. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0044118X12448801
Page-Reeves, J. 2012. “Commentary: The Nexus of Poverty, Hunger, and Homelessness in New Mexico.” Social Justice 38 (3): 33–41.
Paradis, E., S. Bardy, P. C. Diaz, F. Athumani, and I. Pereira. 2012. We Are Not Asking, We’re Telling: An Inventory of Practices Promoting the Dignity, Autonomy, and Self-Determination of Females and Families Facing Homelessness. The Homelessness Hub Report Series. Report 8.
Parker, S., and P. Mayock. 2019. “’They’re Always Complicated But That’s the Meaning of Family in My Eyes’: Homeless Youth Making Sense of ‘Family’ and Family Relationships.” Journal of Family Issues 40 (4): 540–70. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X18812512. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X18812512
Parsell, C., W. Tomaszewski, and R. Phillip. 2014. “Existing Unsheltered Homelessness and Sustaining Housing: A Human Agency Perspective.” Social Service Review 88 (2): 295–321. https://doi.org/10.1086/676318. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/676318
Petrovich, J. C., E. Roark Murphy, L. K. Hardin, and B. R. Koch. 2017. “Creating Safe Spaces: Designing Day Shelters for People Experiencing Homelessness.” Journal of Social Distress and the Homeless 26 (1): 65–72. https://doi.org/10.1080/10530789.2016.1260879. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10530789.2016.1260879
Phillips, D., and A. B. Kuyini. 2018. “Consumer Participation at Specialist Homelessness Services: Do the Homeless Have a Say in the Services They Receive.” International Social Work 61 (6): 1095–115. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020872817695644. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0020872817695644
Phiri, C. M., and B. E. Perron. 2012. “Health Implications of Chronic Homelessness: Lived Experiences of Adult Males and Females at a Community in Gauteng Province, South Africa.” African Journal of Physical, Health, Education, Recreational and Dance 2: 160–73.
Renkin, W. 2015. “Finding a Prophetic Response to End Homelessness in the City of Tshwane: A Transdisciplinary Approach.” Master’s dissertation, University of Pretoria.
Sample, K., and K. M. Ferguson. 2020. “It Shouldn’t Be This Hard: Systemic, Situational, and Intrapersonal Barriers to Exiting Homelessness Among Homeless Young Adults.” Qualitative Social Work 19 (4): 580–98. https://doi.org/10.1177/1473325019836280. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1473325019836280
Savage, G. T., M. D. Bunn, B. Gray, Q. Xiao, S. Wang, E. J. Wilson, and E. S. Williams. 2010. “Stakeholders Collaboration: Implications for Stakeholder Theory and Practice.” Journal of Business Ethics 96 (1): 21–26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-011-0939-1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-011-0939-1
Schenck, R., N. Roman, C. Erasmus, D. Blaauw, and J. Ryan. 2017. “Homeless in Observatory, Cape Town Through the Lens of Max-Neef’s Fundamental Human’s Needs Taxonomy.” Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk 53 (2): 265–87. https://doi.org/10.15270/53-2-568. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15270/53-2-568
Schneider, D. A., J. Cretella, S. Ranaudo, D. Constantino, and C. F. Cota. 2019. “Voices Should Be Heard: What Personal Stories of Homelessness Teach Us About Practice.” Families in Society 100 (3): 317–27. https://doi.org/10.1177/1044389419837069. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1044389419837069
Schrag, A., and A. Schmidt-Tieszen. 2014. “Social Support Networks of Single Young Mothers.” Child Adolescence Social Work Journal 31: 315–27. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-013-0324-2. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-013-0324-2
Schwend, K. A., M. Cluskey, and M. Cordell. 2015. “Lifestyles and Goals of Homeless Male Shelter Users.” Sage Open 5: 1. https://doi.org/2158244015572504. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244015572504
Shimei, N., M. Krumer-Nevo, Y. Saar-Heiman, S. Russo-Carmel, I. Mirmovitch, L. Zaitoun-Aricha, and Social Work for Change Group Members. 2016. “Critical Social Work: A Performance Ethnography.” Qualitative Inquiry 22 (8): 615–23. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800416629696. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800416629696
Singh, N., P. Koiri, and S. K. Shukla. 2018. “Signposting Invisibles: A Study of the Homeless Population in India.” Chinese Sociological Dialogue 3 (3): 179–96. https://doi.org/10.1177/2397200918763087. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2397200918763087
Snodgrass, J. 2014. “Pastoral Care and Counseling with the “Un-Homeless Homeless”: Understanding Cultures of Homelessness.” Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling 68 (2): 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1177/154230501406800204. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/154230501406800204
Thompson, S. J., K. Bender, L. Windor, M. S. Cook, and T. Williams. 2010. “Homeless Youth: Characteristics, Contributing Factors, and Service Options.” Journal of Human Behaviour in the Social Environment 20: 193–217. https://doi.org/10.1080/10911350903269831. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10911350903269831
Trist, E. 1977. “Collaboration in Work Settings: A Personal Perspective.” Journal of Applied Behavioural Science 13 (3): 268–78. https://doi.org/10.1177/002188637701300303. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/002188637701300303
United Nations, Habitat. 2015. Homelessness in Egypt. Cairo: UN-Habitat.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. 2008. Global Trends: Refugees, Asylum-Seekers, Returnees, Internally Displaced and Stateless Peoples. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Accessed 28 January 2022. https://www.unhcr.org/enau/statistics/country/4a375c426/2008-global-trends-refugees-asylum-seekersreturnees-internally-displaced.html.
Wood, D. J., and B. Gray. 1991. “Toward a Comprehensive Theory of Collaboration.” Journal of Applied Behavioural Science 27 (2): 139–62. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021886391272001. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0021886391272001
Wu, H., and J. Karabanow. 2020. “COVID-19 and Beyond: Social Work Interventions for Supporting Homeless Populations.” International Social Work 63 (6): 790–94. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020872820949625. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0020872820949625
Yuen, B. 2009. Reinventing “High-Rise Housing in Singapore. Cityscape 11 (1): 3–18. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2004.10.002
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Accepted 2022-02-12
Published 2022-08-25