The overall purpose of the present study is to contribute to a better understanding of the experiences of young homeless women residing at Covenant House New York, a youth shelter that provides crisis and long-term residential programs to young adults ages 18 – 21. The main objective was to identify past life events and their contributions to the development of positive traits and psychopathology among three groups. The participants were 162 homeless young women, including childfree women, young mothers enrolled at a transitional living Rights of Passage program (12-18 months), and young mothers in crisis enrolled in a 30-day Mother and Child Crisis program. Past life experiences were identified via the Effort to Outcome (ETO) online software database maintained by Covenant House New York. Rates of psychopathology were measured using the IIP (interpersonal problems), PHQ-9 (depression), GAD-7 (anxiety), PSS (parental stress) while rates of positive traits were measured using the SCS (self-compassion), SCBCS (compassion toward others), and PGIS (motivation to change). The results indicated that all participants, regardless of group affiliation, had similar life experiences, though childfree women were more likely to have a history of abandonment, physical abuse, and previous incidents of homelessness. Additionally, presence of abuse history was positively associated with development of psychopathology. As expected, history of sexual abuse was negatively associated with self-compassion, but it was positively associated with compassion toward others. Mothers at the Mother and Child Crisis program had greater rates of self-compassion than mothers at the Rights of Passage program, and childfree women were more likely than the mothers to be compassionate toward others. Mothers at the Mother and Child Crisis program were also more likely to be compassionate toward others than mothers at the Rights of Passage program. Childfree women, however, were more likely to be depressed than mothers at the Mother and Child Crisis program.

Single mothers with young children living in poverty often experience various disadvantages, especially when they have mental health issues. They are a vulnerable population and face challenges such as poverty, homelessness, and low paying jobs. Homeless mothers and their children often have difficulty in finding means to survive and obtaining basic needs. The purpose of this study was to explore the quality and availability of mental health resources to homeless mother and their children. Ten participants were chosen outside of a homeless shelter in the City of Riverside. The study was a qualitative design conducted through face-to-face interviews. This study found that most participants in the study have utilized mental health services in their life and most found the services adequate. However, when asked what services they needed the most, more than half of the participants stated needing housing, employment, and food. Less than half of the participants stated needing more mental health services like therapy or rehabilitation services. The study also revealed that half of the participants utilized mental health services for their children and another half have not. With regards to working with a social worker, only four of the ten participants have done so and said they were helpful. Although one stated it was a failure, the remaining five have never worked with a social worker or cannot recall doing so. As a social worker, it can be recommended to actively provide housing and employment resources for their clients that are in need of basic necessities to survive. Another recommendation is for the social worker to acquire their clients’ perception of their needs and working from there to obtain those needs.

This study describes the experience of homelessness and pregnancy for seven women and their partners in Lane County, Oregon. Homeless pregnant women provide a unique challenge to health care providers and social workers. These women are at increased risk for many negative factors that could affect their pregnancy outcomes. The purpose of the study was to collect information from pregnant women experiencing homelessness in Lane County. Data was analyzed to identify demographic characteristics, service use patterns and recurring themes. It is expected the results will be the basis for further research with homeless pregnant women in Lane County. The project utilized a mostly qualitative research design supported by limited quantitative data. The sources of data included client records, written surveys, and face-to-face personal interviews. Findings indicated that there is a service gap for women less than eight months pregnant with no other children in her custody and that over half of the participants had other children that were not in their current custody. The investigator recommends that further research examine the psychosocial aspects of homelessness and pregnancy. Also, the association between current pregnancy and the previous removal of a child from a mother's custody should be further explored. / Graduation date: 2000

One of the fastest growing segments of the homeless population in the United States is families, with women and their children heading up to 90% of these families. African-Americans represent a disproportionate number within the homeless population. Homelessness is a devastating experience for women and their children who often seek an emergency homeless shelter as their only option for temporary housing. This grounded theory study explored how homeless African-American mothers and their children defined their health and managed and obtained their health for themselves and their children within the context of an emergency homeless shelter. The grounded theory of Layered Stressors emerged after fifteen homeless African-American mothers were interviewed. Health was perceived by the participants as “having your own.” In the first stage, a perceived “loss of self-control” or loss of autonomy was given over to the shelter. In the second stage, homeless mothers experienced layered stressors which consisted of “following the shelter’s rules,” “living with strangers,” “mothering in public,” “changed behaviors of their children,” “smoking more,” “feeling trapped, helpless and powerless,” “shared infectious illnesses.” Chronic stress affects an individual’s physical, psychological and social make-up and may contribute to allostatic load, the cumulative biologic burden exacted on the body and brain. McEwen (2002) described allostatis, and allostatic load as stressors. Allostatic load may contribute to chronic medical illnesses.

Thesis (M.T.S.)--Catholic Theological Union, 1986. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [54-55]).

Thesis (M.T.S.)--Catholic Theological Union, 1986. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [54-55]).

Thesis (M.T.S.)--Catholic Theological Union, 1986. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [54-55]).

The purpose of this study is to compare the coping strategies between homeless women with dependent children and homeless women without dependent children. Of the 192 homeless women in this study, 64 were mothers who have their dependent children living with them and 132 were women who did not have dependent children living with them. The women were recruited from homeless shelters in Georgia, in the Metro-Atlanta area and several surrounding counties: Bartow, Clark, and Cobb. MANOVA analysis was used to test the differences between both groups using their scores on the Coping Strategies Inventory scales (problem solving skills, problem reframing, and ability to access social networks). Univariate analysis was used to look at each dependent variable. There was no statistical difference in coping strategies between both groups. The conclusions from this study suggest continued research regarding the benefit of coping strategies among homeless populations.

Johannesburg is a melting pot of people from different walks of life who have come to the city on the pursuit of happiness. Hillbrow is a neighbourhood infamous for its criminal activities. It is the point of arrival for many of the people who travel to Johannesburg looking for work, making it a very hostile environment for the vulnerable. Human trafficking is a highly lucrative business in South Africa. The global market for human trafficking is at $42, 5-billion (about R317-billion). In the Children’s Act 38, Section 194 of 2005 one of clauses refers to the needs of young women affected by human trafficking, (Mahery, Jamieson, & Scott, 2011). There is a clear need for a re-imagined approach to the typology of shelters provided through welfare structures. Young women need shelters in the inner city that are tailored for their specific needs especially the vast majority who are forced into the city through prostitution and human trafficking. This thesis deals with the design of a new typology that best addresses the needs of a shelter for young women in the city.

Le phénomène du sans-abrisme évoque la plupart du temps des images d’hommes, seuls, exposés dans les espaces publics et pratiquant la mendicité. Or, le sans abrisme se conjugue également au féminin. Cette thèse de sociologie propose d’interroger l’expérience des femmes sans abri à partir des modalités d’accueil et des pratiques de catégorisation des sexes observées dans les dispositifs d’accueil et d’hébergement à Saint-Etienne et à Montréal. Au croisement de la sociologie du sans-abrisme et de la sociologie du genre, ce travail vise à comprendre d’une part la place des femmes sans abri dans le monde de l’assistance et d’autre part, comment l’assistance participe à fabriquer le genre des individus qui y ont recours. Au moyen d’une ethnographie comparative, je montre que, si au Québec l’itinérance des femmes est devenue un problème public, en France, les femmes tendent à être accueillies et prises en charge avec les hommes (mixité des sexes) et « comme » des personnes singulières. L’observation de cette différence de traitement des femmes en France et au Québec a permis l’élaboration de deux grammaires de l’assistance : celle de la « personne » qui tend à désexualiser les individus et qui souligne la nécessité de reconnaissance de la singularité des êtres accueillis, faisant du genre et des catégories de sexes des « petits troubles » situés à la marge des situations et celle de la « vulnérabilité de genre » qui insiste explicitement sur les violences multiples dont les femmes sans abri sont l’objet et qui induit une forme de justice sociale basée sur la reconnaissance de la différence de l’expérience des femmes. / Homelessness often evokes images of lonely men, exposed in public spaces and begging. However, the phenomenon of homelessness also includes women. This doctoral dissertation in sociology proposes to investigate the experience of homeless women based on the welcoming methods and gender categorization practices observed in day centers and shelters in Saint-Etienne (France) and Montreal (Canada). At the crossroads of sociology of homelessness and sociology of gender, this work aims to understand the place of homeless women in the world of assistance and how assistance contributes to the making of gender in/for people who use it. Drawing on a comparative ethnography, we demonstrate that, while in Quebec women's homelessness has become a public problem, in France, women tend to be welcomed and cared for among men (“gender mixity”) and "as" singular people. The observation of this difference in the treatment of women in France and Quebec has led to the elaboration of two grammars for assistance: (1) a grammar of "person" who tends to desexualize individuals and who emphasizes the need to recognize the singularity of the people being welcomed, making gender and gender categories of the "small troubles" located at the margin of situations (2) and a grammar of "gender vulnerability" which explicitly insists on violence undergone by homeless women, and implies a form of social justice, based on the recognition of the difference of women’s experience.