Orientador: Abílio Costa-Rosa / Banca: Sílvio José Benelli / Banca: Aldaiza Sposati / Resumo: Trata-se de uma exposição dos resultados de nossa práxis de intercessão-pesquisa no trabalho com pessoas em situação de rua, no Centro de Referência Especializado de Assistência Social (CREAS). Discutiremos o campo da assistência social sob o prisma de um trabalhador-intercessor-pesquisador que se utiliza dos seguintes referenciais: a psicanálise do campo de Freud e Lacan, o materialismo histórico, a análise institucional e a filosofia da diferença. Esses referenciais oferecem a possibilidade de analisarmos as práticas, os saberes e os discursos desse campo, bem como de intercedermos nele. Conceituaremos Assistência Social como uma instituição, retomando rapidamente a trajetória da Política Nacional da Assistência Social bem como o contexto que a originou, tecendo algumas considerações sobre esse processo. Em seguida, analisaremos a Assistência Social por meio de dois paradigmas, que consideraremos alternativos e contraditórios: paradigma caridoso filantrópico assistencialista (PCFA), que detém a hegemonia no campo da assistência social, e paradigma do sujeito de direitos (PSD), cujo horizonte de trabalho vai em direção dos interesses da população atendida e dos próprios trabalhadores da assistência social. Abordaremos também as bases do dispositivo intercessor: uma ferramenta de intercessão-pesquisa com a finalidade de ação na práxis das instituições públicas "prestadoras de serviços". Pautando-nos nesses elementos, relataremos a nossa práxis como um trabalhador-intercessor, ou melhor, analisaremos os atravessamentos, acontecimentos e atendimentos diários no trabalho com as pessoas em situação de rua em um município de grande porte, que está implantando uma unidade de Serviços Especializados: de Abordagem Social e Atendimento às Pessoas em Situação de Rua / Abstract: We will explain our praxis of Intercessão-Research on the work with homeless people at the Social Assistance Specialized Reference Center (CREAS). We will discuss the social assistance field under the worker-intercessor-researcher sight that uses the following references: Psychoanalysis on Freud and Lacan field, Historical Materialism, Institutional Analysis and the Philosophy of Difference. Those references enhable to analyse and to act in response to the practices, knowledges and discourses on this field. We will concept Social Assistance as an institution, and will go on a brief path through the Social Assistance National Policy and the context that gave origin to it, taking some considerations about this process. Following that, we will paradigmatic analyse Social Assistance as two paradigms, considered both alternative and contradictory: Charity Philanthropy Assistentialist Paradigm (PCFA), which holds hegemony on the Social Assistance fields, and the Subject of Rights Paradigm (PSD), this as a work horizon that goes on the direction of the assisted population's and the own Social Assistance worker's interests. Also will be explained the Intercessor Device's basis: an Intercessão-Research tool, intending to act in the "service's provider" public institution's praxis. Ruled on those elements, our praxis as a worker-intercessor will be reported, or better saying, the crossings, events and daily attendances with the homeless people; in a large city which is in the implantation process of the specialized services: social approach and attendance to the homeless people / Mestre

The purpose of this study was to conduct a needs assessment of homeless children and explore possible solutions to better meet the needs of homeless children and reduce the risks of intergenerational homelessness in San Bernardino County.

Homelessness is a multifaceted social problem that affects thousands of people every single day throughout the United States. In recent years, research has begun to look at the impact of social support on the lives of those that are homeless. To further explore this topic, this study examines the impact of social support on the length of time someone is homeless, in search of notable correlations. This study was completed using a quantitative research approach and a sample of 54 homeless individuals. Participants were recruited from two leading homeless service agencies in the City of Riverside and asked to complete an anonymous questionnaire composed of a demographic section, questions on their unique homeless situation, length of time homeless and current social support. Results of this study found that there is no significant difference between formal and informal forms of social support and the presence of any can be associated with experiencing fewer episodes of homelessness. Future research should continue to explore the intricacy of this social problem and conduct larger scale comprehensive studies that can provide a better insight into the impact of social support. Existing research and this study show that the availability of social support in the lives of those that are homeless can have positive outcomes in the improvement of their situation.

Health and behavior risks among homeless Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer youth, are now part of nation wide conversation however, evidenced based practices and strategies for working with the youth remain very limited. This explorative study examined housing services, environments, and therapeutic interventions needed to help decrease high-risk behaviors among homeless Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer youth. In order to examine and distinguish the services needed to assist youth, the presenting study conducted an open-ended qualitative survey where nine social services providers delivered their expertise on the issues found among homeless Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer youth. The presenting study found that homeless Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer youth had experiences that were distinct and complex so as a result, needed cultural competent services and environments to better suit their needs. The participants of the study provided concrete details of encounters between social service providers and homeless Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer youth. From responses given, important insight was obtained on how to create safe and welcoming environments for at-risk or currently homeless Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer youth.

Over one million youth (age 14-24) experience homelessness each year in the United States, about 5-8% of all youth. For homeless youth to become independent and avoid cycling through public services, consistent income is necessary. Barriers to gaining employment and subsequent income often stem from lack of education. Defining the educational goals of homeless youth and barriers in reaching them are crucial steps in the development of relevant and effective educational interventions. Using data obtained from surveys of homeless youth in an urban Western city, this study found large discrepancies between the educational goals of homeless youth and actual academic attainment. Becoming homeless before the age of 18 and having fewer lifetime parents or guardians were predictive of lacking a diploma or GED. Implications of this research for informing educational interventions for homeless youth are discussed.

Graph theory is the foundation on which social network analysis (SNA) is built. With the flood of "big data," graph theoretical concepts and their linear algebraic counterparts are essential tools for analysis in the burgeoning field of network data analysis, in which SNA is a subset. Here we begin with an overview of SNA. We then discuss the common descriptive measures taken on network data as well as proposing new measures specific to homeless networks. We also define a new data structure which we call the location sequence matrix. This data structure makes certain computational network analyses particularly easy. Finally we apply Pulse Processes in a new way to the homeless network in Utah. We believe the new data structure and pulse processes, when used for analysis of the Utah homeless services. In particular, pulse processes, first introduced by Brown, Roberts, and Spencer, to analyze energy demand, form a dynamic population model that can provide a measure of the stability in a network and the patterns of action of individuals experiencing homelessness.

Homelessness among unaccompanied youth is a unique, yet pervasive, social problem. Youth often become homeless through three central pathways: conflict with family, involvement in the foster system, and involvement in juvenile justice systems. As youth experience homelessness during important developmental period(s), vulnerability to mental illness may occur if not already present. The present study examined the type and prevalence of mental illness. Characteristics of homelessness, health and mental health service utilization, and pathways to homelessness were examined in relation to the occurrence of mental illness. Findings indicated that a variety of characteristics are associated with mental illness. Mental health service utilization was also evaluated.

This thesis is primarily concerned with the meanings that are produced when women become visible amongst the homeless through photographic representations. While there have always been homeless women, unlike their male counterparts, they have remained largely invisible to the public and government policy makers.Social documentary photography has acted as one of the main avenues through which homeless women have, literally, been rendered visible. Driven by, and implicated in complex sociocultural and political circumstances, socially concerned photographs draw on the real and the fictional to generate truth/power effects.Thus, the thesis re/traces the representation of homeless women in a range of visual texts and ask how this construct has been discursively produced and deployed. In order to explore how socially concerned photography has contributed to, and made use of the idea of homeless, or destitute woman, examples are drawn from a range of photographic genres. These include traditional social documentary, public collections of photographs, photojournalism and publicity materials.The selected images, the circumstances out of which they emerge, and those in which they are read, are interrogated along, and with the consideration of the interconnections between axes of gender, genre, race, class and power. The inquiry does not aim to establish a unitary source, or coherent trajectory of the visual representation of the homeless woman, because origins, particularly of ideas, are always contestable. Rather, a primary aim is to expand the field of possibilities for the visual portrayal of women's experiences of homelessness. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

In Australia the homeless population has become more diverse over the last 20 years with more young people, women and families experiencing homelessness. It is also evident that there is considerable variation in the length of time people remain homeless. How these changes relate to movements into and out of the homeless population is not well understood. This research asks: 'Is there a connection between how people become homeless, how long they remain homeless and how they 'get out' of homelessness?' A review of the literature identified two gaps directly relevant to the issue of movement in and out of homelessness. First, it is not well understood why people experience homelessness for different lengths of time when they face similar structural conditions. Second, the prevalence of substance use and mental illness reported in the homeless population has led some to conclude these factors cause homelessness. However, researchers have generally been unclear about whether such problems precede or are a consequence of homelessness. In addition, research has generally presumed a relationship between the amount of time a person is homeless and patterns of behavioural and cognitive adaptation to a homeless way of life. Yet recent research suggests that people's biographies play a significant role in the duration of homelessness. How these different findings relate to each other remains unclear. This thesis investigates these issues through a longitudinal study of homeless households. Data was gathered in two rounds of semi-structured interviews. In the first round 103 interviews were conducted. Approximately one year later 79 of these households were re-interviewed. The process of, and connections between becoming, being and exiting the homeless pathway are analysed using the 'pathways' concept. While on these pathways homeless people actively produce and reproduce social structures including both embracing and rejecting the stigma and subculture associated with homelessness. This complex world of homelessness is then analysed by extending the pathways concept by distinguishing five ideal type pathways based on the main reason for becoming homeless. They are a mental health pathway, a domestic violence pathway, a substance use pathway, a housing crisis pathway and a youth pathway. The research indicates that people on each pathway respond to the experience of homelessness differently and this has implications for the amount of time they spend in the homeless population. People on the substance use and youth pathways commonly describe themselves as 'homeless', focus on the 'here and now', use the welfare service system, are very mobile, and over time, many start to sleep rough. Their embrace of the homeless subculture commonly 'locks' them into the homeless population for long periods of time. In contrast people on the domestic violence and housing crisis pathways generally do not identify themselves as homeless and resist involvement with other homeless people. These homeless careers tend to be shorter. Then there are those who enter homelessness on the mental health pathway. They were frequently exploited in the early stages of their homeless careers and most sought to avoid exploitation by isolating themselves which then increased their marginalisation. These were the longest homeless careers. The use of the pathways concept also helps to understand how the circumstances of homeless people can change while they are homeless. The research found that some homeless people changed pathways. In particular the study found that two thirds of the people who reported substance use problems developed these problems after they became homeless. Most of these people entered the homeless population on the youth pathway. The research also found that three quarters of the people with mental health issues developed these issues after they became homeless, and that for some this was also connected to drug use. Overcoming homelessness is never easy and individuals manage the process in different ways. Again the pathways concept proved useful to understanding how homeless people accomplished this. The findings show that people travelling the different pathways require different levels and types of assistance to resolve their homelessness. The research concludes that the process of re-integration can take a long time but, given the right social and economic support, every homeless career can end.

The purpose of this study was to determine how the presence of resilience was manifested in a population of children within homeless families and more specifically, whether the sibling relationship provided a unique contribution to child psychological adjustment. Analyses were conducted to determine if the sibling relationship provided a unique contribution to the amelioration of child psychological distress among children within homeless families, thereby promoting child resilience. The variables of the study included resilience, sibling relationship, and psychological distress among children within homeless families. Data was collected from 60 school-aged children (26 boys and 34 girls), ages 9 to 17, who, along with their parents and siblings, resided in two, agency-operated, emergency housing centers located in Miami-Dade County. Hypothesis 1 predicted that high resilience would be related to low psychological distress. Hypothesis 2 predicted that positive sibling relationship would be related to low psychological distress and Hypothesis 3 predicted that high resilience and positive sibling relationship would be related to low psychological distress. It was concluded that resilience was partially related to low psychological distress; however, the relationship between positive sibling relationship and low psychological distress was not supported by the data in this study. The clinical and service implications of this study are discussed and recommendations are made for future research on this subject.