This qualitative exploration takes place within the context of homelessness, oral health and health promotion. The idea for this work was associated with 'An Action Plan for Improving Oral Health and Modernising NHS Dental Services in Scotland', which identified homeless people as a priority group. This led to ‘Something to Smile About’ (STSA), a pilot oral health promotion intervention for homelessness sector practitioners and homeless clients. An evaluation of STSA, which was judged to have failed, highlighted the interplay between intervention design, and the two principal stakeholders: practitioners and homeless clients. The aim of the research was to explore the contextual and experiential elements of homelessness that influence homeless people’s engagement with health promotion. As the research progressed, these two factors were conceptualised as the public and private faces of homelessness. It became apparent that to fully understand the issues surrounding homeless people’s engagement, it would be necessary to explore the private, innermost elements of homelessness. Seventeen homelessness sector practitioners and 34 homeless people took part in a qualitative exploration, in order to examine the engagement process from the perspective of both stakeholders. It emerged that that the homelessness policy context, coupled with work environments and perceptions of clients, shaped practitioners’ interactions and thus influenced client engagement. Practitioners utilised a narrow ‘window of engagement opportunity’ within a wider framework of managing client health problems and preparation for engagement, engaging with clients, and finally, disengaging from clients. From the work with homeless people, a ‘journey’ through homelessness emerged, in the form of a trajectory from ‘deconstruction’ of pre-homeless identity, to ‘construction’ of a homeless identity, and finally, to ‘reconstruction’ of a post-homeless, ‘reclaimed’ life. Appropriate points for engagement on this trajectory were identified. The thesis ends with a set of recommendations to assist practitioners to engage their homeless clients, and from the client perspective, encourage and facilitate engagement with practitioners and health promotion services.

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.

This research project focuses on how social workers can improve the healthcare experience for people who are homeless. The twelve participants in this study were recruited from a homeless shelter located in Southern California. Data was collected for this study using qualitative methods by means of interviews. Interviews were conducted in person, audio recorded, and then transcribed for data analysis. Findings from this study indicated that the concepts of time, perception of needs being met, service connection, staff interaction, social work intervention, and potential social work intervention were all connected to whether participants viewed their healthcare visit as a negative experience or a positive experience. In addition, findings from this study revealed a low percentage of reported social work encounters at healthcare facilities among study participants. Results from this study have implications for social work practice in regards to location of social work intervention at healthcare facilities and extension of social work roles in healthcare settings.

Student homelessness presents challenges and opportunities for public school administrators. The primary purpose of this study was to explore whether the effects of child homelessness caused students to drop out of school and engage in criminal activity before the age of 18 or if they would further their education beyond high school. A quantitative method with a cross-sectional design was used to examine the topic, and a self-administered survey, adapted from Dillman's design, was employed for data collection. The sample included 150 participants who were teachers and principals in a school district in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. An ordinary least squares (OLS) regression was used for analyzing participant responses and to examine gender, race, age, years teaching, grade teaching, teacher concerns, witnessed behavior, policies, and training. Key results of this study are significant for social change because they provide evidence for policy officials to redevelop ways to assist teachers of homeless students.

The lack of resources a young person brings with them to their experience of being homeless dramatically impacts on their ability to get out of homelessness. Young people who become homeless come with limited experience of successful independent living and at a life stage in which they are still developing physically, intellectually and psychologically. Johnson (2006) found that the younger a person was when they first became homeless the more likely they would remain homeless for a longer period of time. Evidence also shows that the longer someone remains homeless the more likely it is that they will develop substance use and/or mental health issues, further reducing their opportunities to ‘get out’ of homelessness. Youth homelessness disrupts schooling and limits future opportunities for economic participation, placing these young people well and truly at the bottom of the labour market. This paper asks ‘“Given that young people follow a unique pathway to homelessness, what supports and services are needed to effectively respond to this group?” This paper is divided into three sections – a critique of the characteristics of young people who become homeless, a review of current theories of intervention and government responses, and finally a proposal for an improved response to young people who are at risk of becoming or who are already homeless.

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.

This exegesis follows the development and application of an informal learning model for marginalised young people frequenting the inner city area of Melbourne, Australia. The Melbourne Youth Learning Opportunities (MYLO) project emerged in response to an increasingly visible community of young people frequenting the city campuses and a simultaneous wave of public concern about young people's options in Melbourne around the turn of the millennium. The application of an action research model was central to the research and is reflected throughout this exegesis. The recurring steps of reflection, planning, analysis and action are witnessed throughout the life of the MYLO project on both micro and macro scales. The research methodology reflects action research principles of consultation and continual improvement whilst simultaneously catering for traditional academic principles of rigour and validity. Combined qualitative and quantitative data collection was supported by careful data reduction and display before the determination of findings and according actions. The exegesis follows the creation and trial of an innovative youth learning model. In turn, the work explores the evaluation of the trial, the dissemination of project results, efforts at forward planning and the eventual piloting of the model. Throughout the document the reflections of the project team and, more particularly, the author (as primary researcher) are closely considered. The exegesis concludes with an analysis of developments in literature since the time of MYLO's creation, the contribution of the project to this body of knowledge, the long term outcomes for the MYLO model and the long term outcomes in terms of the author's own personal and professional development.

Homelessness is an important social problem in Canada, and the needs and experiences of women may differ from those of other homeless people. Little research has looked beyond rehousing to examine community integration following homelessness. Predictive models of three distinct facets of community integration for women who have experienced homelessness are presented and tested in this thesis. The first model examines physical integration, which is defined in terms of attaining and retaining stable housing. The second model predicts economic integration, defined in terms of participation in work or education. The third model predicts psychological integration, defined as psychological sense of community in one’s neighbourhood. Data for this research comes from a two-year longitudinal study conducted in Ottawa. Participants were women aged 20 and over (N =101) who were homeless at the study’s outset. Family status was an important predictor of community integration. Women who were accompanied by dependent children were more likely than those unaccompanied by children to be physically, economically and psychologically integrated in their communities. Having access to subsidized housing predicted becoming rehoused and living in one’s current housing for longer. Greater perceived social support predicted living in one’s current housing for longer. Past work history and mental health functioning predicted economic integration. Lower levels of education predicted returns to full-time studies. Living in higher quality housing and having more positive contact with neighbours predicted psychological integration, while living in one’s current housing for longer predicted lower levels of psychological integration. Overall, participants achieved a moderate level of community integration. The majority had been housed for at least 90 days at follow-up. However, only a minority were participating in the workforce or education at follow-up. Participants achieved only a moderate level of psychological integration. Results are discussed in terms of implications for policy and service provision. Improvements in the availability and quality of affordable housing, as well as employment support are recommended. Special attention needs to be paid to providing adequate and effective services for women who are unaccompanied by dependent children. / Fonds québécois de la recherche sur la societé et la culture

This dissertation develops insights into subsistence related decision-making from the perspective of homeless and street involved young people themselves through 39 in-depth and life story interviews. The interviews provide insight into two important and underexplored questions: how the social organization of street spaces shapes street life and subsistence; and how the self is implicated in subsistence related decision-making. To address these questions the analysis develops a conceptual model based on field theory (Bourdieu 1984; Green 2008; Martin 2003) that conceptualizes “the street” as a collection of interlocking subfields—unique social terrains structured at the intersection of various social forces that position actors relative to one another and that orient actors towards particular approaches to street life. The core concepts of field theory—field, capital, and habitus—provide insight into how the unique social spaces of homelessness distribute resources, stratify actors, and provide discourses that frame practice. The analysis demonstrates the strength of this approach through case studies of three such subfields in Toronto. Further, the analysis extends the field framework, and contributes to research on the role of the self in street life, by examining how narratives influence the navigation of street spaces. Actors use narratives to make sense of their circumstances and to invest lines of action with a sense of personal meaning. This narrative perspective is integrated with a dual process approach to action (Vaisey 2009) that states that action is influenced by internalized dispositions formed through experience and upbringing (habitus), as well as through available cultural resources that underwrite and legitimize courses of practice. I extend this approach by considering how these two processes interact within narratives, and how the resulting interplay shapes how the homeless navigate the social spaces of homelessness.

Homelessness is an important social problem in Canada, and the needs and experiences of women may differ from those of other homeless people. Little research has looked beyond rehousing to examine community integration following homelessness. Predictive models of three distinct facets of community integration for women who have experienced homelessness are presented and tested in this thesis. The first model examines physical integration, which is defined in terms of attaining and retaining stable housing. The second model predicts economic integration, defined in terms of participation in work or education. The third model predicts psychological integration, defined as psychological sense of community in one’s neighbourhood. Data for this research comes from a two-year longitudinal study conducted in Ottawa. Participants were women aged 20 and over (N =101) who were homeless at the study’s outset. Family status was an important predictor of community integration. Women who were accompanied by dependent children were more likely than those unaccompanied by children to be physically, economically and psychologically integrated in their communities. Having access to subsidized housing predicted becoming rehoused and living in one’s current housing for longer. Greater perceived social support predicted living in one’s current housing for longer. Past work history and mental health functioning predicted economic integration. Lower levels of education predicted returns to full-time studies. Living in higher quality housing and having more positive contact with neighbours predicted psychological integration, while living in one’s current housing for longer predicted lower levels of psychological integration. Overall, participants achieved a moderate level of community integration. The majority had been housed for at least 90 days at follow-up. However, only a minority were participating in the workforce or education at follow-up. Participants achieved only a moderate level of psychological integration. Results are discussed in terms of implications for policy and service provision. Improvements in the availability and quality of affordable housing, as well as employment support are recommended. Special attention needs to be paid to providing adequate and effective services for women who are unaccompanied by dependent children. / Fonds québécois de la recherche sur la societé et la culture