Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 191-208).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego and San Diego State University, 1997. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 145-152).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2005. / Supervisors: Laura Lein and Henry Selby. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Delaware, 2007. / Principal faculty advisor: Karen A. Curtis, School of Urban Affairs & Public Policy. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.P.D. (Prof.)) - University of Queensland, 2006. / Includes bibliography.

The Foodways and Futures project (2013-2016), as part of the “Pathways to a Healthy Life” theme at the University of Aberdeen, is an interdisciplinary project, combining education, sociology, public health and nutrition. An unpublished pilot study, conducted with young people who had previously been homeless and were temporarily accommodated by a charitable youth organisation in the North East of Scotland, the Aberdeen Foyer, suggested that young people (16-25) experiencing homelessness and social deprivation were struggling to consume sufficient amounts of healthy foods according to UK nutritional guidelines (Perry, 2011). The Foodways and Futures project was developed to investigate the lived experiences of the young people accommodated by the same organisation, to explore how, why and in what context they make their food choices. I combined action research and ethnography as mutually beneficial research approaches. Four different research methods were employed: participant observation at three of the housing sites, interviews, as well as a peer researcher group of young people and photovoice as more participatory approaches. The study combines methodological, ethical as well as analytical insights. The thesis' contribution to knowledge is firstly, the insights into the complexities of young people's lived experiences and secondly, the novelty of the research approaches to explore these. Foodways and Futures illustrates the ways in which food choices and practices may appear nutritionally undesirable, but are nevertheless linked to the young people's search for security and social connectedness, in their new living environments. Food choice makes subjective and emotional sense to the participants and cannot be separated from the socio economic context. In realising this, evidence for policy becomes more interactive. Policy changes require insights and action not only from the communities of concern, but also require collaborative support and action from policymakers as well as governance, organisational and managerial actors.

Student homelessness is unfortunately a prevalent and growing issue nation-wide. Current estimates suggest that over one million youth are homeless in the U.S. at any given time and the prevalence of student homelessness continues to increase each year. Research indicates that homeless youth are at a greater risk for high stress and experiencing adverse life events. In turn, they are even more at risk for related psychological and academic impairments. Many homeless youth are impacted by mental health issues, including high levels of anxiety, stress, and depression. Additionally, youth affected by anxiety and stress often experience significant impairments in their academic and psychological functioning. The current study examined the relationship between anxiety and related psychological and academic functioning was positively or negatively impacted by a youth's coping style. In the current study, psychological functioning was defined as the presence of depressive symptoms while academic functioning includes both a sense of school connectedness and current grade point average. Results showed that coping skills do not impact the relationship between anxious homeless youth and their psychosocial and academic outcomes. However, findings suggest that a greater sense of school connectedness is associated with more positive academic and psychosocial outcomes. The study provides better insight for school personnel, psychologists, and mental health workers when providing services and interventions for homeless youth. Specifically, suggestions for further research and recommendations for fostering and implementing a greater sense of school connectedness within the school system are given.

This dissertation describes a qualitative investigation of two research questions: "What do homeless individuals perceive to be the critical incidents that led to their homelessness?" and "What do people who are homeless recommend for how counselors can help the homeless and individuals at risk of becoming homeless?" Twenty-five participants were recruited from an Iowa City homeless shelter and were interviewed using an interview protocol. Participants were asked to provide detailed accounts of critical incidents that led to their homelessness and recommendations for counselors who would be working with people who are homeless or at a risk of becoming homeless. The critical incident technique, a qualitative research methodology, was used to develop the research design and analyze data. From the 25 interviews, 238 useful responses were extracted creating 34 unique categories. Eleven overarching themes were derived, representing groupings of categories. There were seven themes and 18 corresponding categories describing participant responses about the critical incidents that led to their homelessness. The first theme was Employment, Finances, and Resources with the categories Loss of Employment, Resource Problems, Job Search Difficulties, and Financial Problems. The second theme was Interpersonal Incidents with the categories Isolated from Interpersonal Support, Domestic Dispute, Domestic Abuse, and Burdening Interpersonal Support. The third theme was Substance Abuse with the categories Substance Abuse of Participant and Substance Abuse of Other. The fourth theme was Significant Difficult Events with the categories Traumatic Event, Conned/Robbed, and Natural Disaster. The fifth theme was Illness with the categories Psychological Illness and Physical Illness. The sixth theme was Legal Problems with the category Legal Incidents. And the seventh theme was Choices with the categories "I made poor choices" and Choice to Be Homeless. There were four themes and 16 corresponding categories describing the participants' recommendations to counselors who want to work with people who are homeless or people who might be at a risk to become homeless. The first theme was Types of Counseling with the categories Substance Abuse Counseling, Employment Counseling, Family Counseling, Supportive Counseling, and Other Types of Counseling. The second theme was Counseling Not Enough with the categories Counselor Not Helpful, Spirituality Component Needed, Counseling for Other Needed, and Personal Responsibility. The third theme was Counselor Characteristics/Knowledge with the categories Caring Counselor Characteristics, Familiarization with Population, and Understand Etiology of Problem. The fourth theme was Resources with the categories Resource Problem, Accessibility of Services, Shelter Service is Helpful, and Approach Clientele. An overview of relevant literature, a detailed explanation of the critical incident technique, a description of the results, and a discussion of the results and limitations for this study are provided in this dissertation.

The problem of children on the streets of Harare has been increasing over the last five years. The majority of these children appear to be of school-going age. Who are these children? Where do they live? Why are they not attending school? This study is an attempt to provide answers for these questions, to evaluate current policy and programmes for street children and to promote appropriate and effective policy measures. A convenience sample of two hundred and eight children, who fulfilled the definition of street child used in the study, were interviewed using a questionnaire and focus group discussions. A number of children's homes, a probation centre and a remand home were visited and personnel from non-governmental organisations working with street children were interviewed. The study found that the majority of children were male (89%), and the age distribution ranged from six to seventeen years. The mean time period spent on the street was 18,4 months. The most common reason for leaving home was that the family was unable to support the child. Most of the children slept in a nearby squatter settlement or at the city railway station. The most popular income generating activity was guarding motor vehicles. Five of the children were attending alternative education programmes and one third had never attended school. The most common medical conditions were acute respiratory infections, diarrhoeal disease and skin rashes. Some of the children had suffered physical (12) and /or sexual (10) abuse while on the street. Substance abuse, notably glue sniffing, was widespread with 78% of the children admitting to this activity. A general attitude of hopelessness prevailed among the children and few could envisage brighter prospects for the future. Short term measures to improve the children's lives on the street must be taken, but the long-term solution requires a broad attack on poverty in order to eradicate the root problems that force children onto the streets. Recommendation were aimed at the major role players in the lives of street children - the Government, the Department of Social Welfare, the Zimbabwe Republic Police and Non-Governmental Organisations.

Associations between characteristics of homeless clients and their return visits to a nurse-managed primary health care clinic were examined using a retrospective chart review of 1,467 records from clients seen between 1991 and 1994. Client characteristics examined included age, education, race, gender, sheltered status, report of chronic disease, and report of family living in the area. Only 47 percent of clients made return visits to the clinic. Logistic regression indicated that those with reported chronic disease, males, whites, and those living on the street were more likely to have returned to the clinic for care than those without chronic illness, females, nonwhites, and those living in some type of shelter. Results suggest the need for program planning and evaluation for this population, which particularly considers women, nonwhites, and those without chronic disease as target groups for services.