This study employed the Qualitative Narrative Policy Framework (Q-NPF) and content analysis as methodological approaches in order to analyze the differences between the province of British Columbia’s New Democratic Party (NDP) and the British Columbia (BC) Liberal Party’s policy strategies towards the issues of poverty reduction and homelessness in BC. The Q-NPF is a theoretically deductive approach used to analyze narratives in public policy, and it's defining purpose is to “empirically understand the role of policy narratives in shaping public policy” (Gray & Jones, 2016, p. 22). Analyzing the policy recommendations and implementations by these political parties revealed how the parties framed poverty and homelessness issues. Three research questions guided this study: (i) Does the characterization of these issues within policy differ between the BC NDP and the BC Liberals, and if so, how? (ii) What narrative strategies did each political party use to promote their policy positions on poverty and homelessness, and how did these differ? (iii) Are there policy-related reasons for the continuation of poverty and homelessness in BC? The results of this study demonstrated that the characterization of poverty and homelessness within policy does indeed differ, which was demonstrated in the narrative strategies of both parties. While the NDP focused on their innovative, ‘landmark’ policies and programs, discredited and criticized past government efforts, and utilized themes of togetherness and community, the Liberal party’s two most dominant narrative strategies consisted of promoting past successes and strengthening economic prosperity. Finally, in regard to the third research question, assumptions were able to be made that pointed towards the notion that there are policy-related reasons for the continuation of poverty and homelessness in BC. However, evidence to sufficiently answer this question was found to be more nuanced and requires further research. / Graduate / 2021-08-17

This thesis examines how the right to housing has arisen in Sweden and how it hasbeen articulated and expressed during the 20th and 21st century. Moreover, itinvestigates the shift and continuations within Swedish housing policies alongsidereviewing outcomes following the happenings with a focus on homelessness. This hasbeen done through a document analysis using a historical method providing means tounderstand the changes that have occurred over time. The material has been analyzedEsping-Andersen's stratification theory and Bengtsson's Universal and Selectiveapproach to housing as a social right. Throughout the analysis, it is concluded that theright housing has until the late 20 th century been expressed as a group held necessitydependent on a regulated housing market with state interference. Although, since the1990’s the right has rather been expressed as an individual responsibility to operateand function within the market. Furthermore, it is presented that the liberal shift inSwedish politics in 1991, has resulted in an unstable housing market and increasednumbers of homelessness.

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Homeless women demonstrate higher rates of mental illness than homeless men. The combination of complex life circumstances, stigmas related to mental illness, and homelessness may cause homeless women with mental illnesses to face unique barriers that prevent them from accessing necessary mental health services. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to expand the body of literature on homeless women's experiences with the mental health system and to understand the barriers to treatment services. Guided by Young's critical social theory of gender, this study was designed to develop a better understanding of the support that may be in place to help women overcome service access barriers related to social issues of race, class, sexuality, and gender. Study participants included 10 chronically homeless adult women in the Southeastern United States who were diagnosed with a mental illness. In-person semistructured, open-ended, phenomenological interview questions were used to explore the research questions. Thematic analysis revealed 5 main themes: (a) reasons for homelessness, (b) reasons women stay homeless, (c) mental health experiences and issues, (d) experiences with being homeless, and (e) services and supports. There were 3 subthemes associated with services and supports: (a) the shelter experience, (b) services that are needed, and (c) professionals should know. Understanding women's unique backgrounds and histories may help service providers and policy makers develop ways to make mental health services more accessible to the homeless women who need them.

Homelessness has been a problem in the United States as early as the 1700s and kinship care networks provided emergency shelters and assistance to victims, neighbors, and family members. Previous studies on homelessness have focused primarily on the causes and effects of the phenomenon or on people who were not able to work due to mental or physical disabilities. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore and understand the lived experiences of 24-55 year old homeless individuals who are able to work but who used homeless shelters in Charlotte, North Carolina, thus helping fill a gap in the literature. The theoretical foundation of the study was functionalism. Snowball sampling was used to find five participants and data were collected using semi-structured interviews based on Rubin and Rubin's approach to interviewing. Data were analyzed using Sada's multiple stage process based on Husserl. All participants experienced worry, boredom, hopelessness, and fear of other residents. Participants also unanimously said shelters cannot be considered long-term homes. Knowledge of these experiences could enable shelter providers to develop programs and services aimed at helping residents feel safer and able to stay for longer periods of time when needed as well as ways to reduce worry, boredom, and hopelessness. This would help promote positive social change by giving residents the ability to take more advantage of counseling and job training programs for those who want to find ways to get out of the condition of homelessness.

This research focuses on the ways in which homelessness is discussed in two newspapers in a major city in the intermountain United States. I analyzed newspaper articles with the goal of understanding public discourse in two ideologically distinct newspaper venues. I examined the news media portrayal of the homeless in 752 articles in these two newspapers during two distinct six­-month time periods, one during which the city was nationally recognized as a major advocate for “Housing First,” or “solving homelessness,” and a more recent period during which urban gentrification has challenged the location of homeless services. Specifically, I addressed the he primary informants drawn upon by the newspapers, and the potential “missing voices” in the media discussion. My research looks at homelessness in these papers both over time and across papers.

@font-face { font-family: "Cambria Math"; }@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }@font-face { font-family: "MS Mincho"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }p.MsoFootnoteText, li.MsoFootnoteText, div.MsoFootnoteText { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }span.MsoFootnoteReference { vertical-align: super; }span.FootnoteTextChar { }span.citationtext { }.MsoChpDefault { font-size: 10pt; font-family: Cambria; }div.WordSection1 { } Over the past fifty years, civil war has held a relentless grip on Colombia. Aside from the staggering numbers of casualties that have resulted, millions have been internally displaced and unwilling to return home. Many are fleeing from forced military recruitment of youths, sexual violence, kidnapping and murder. After Syria, Colombia has one of the highest populations of Internally Displaced People (IDP): 5,841,040, as of December 2015. It is unknown how many more refugees are not officially registered[1]. The majority of the IDP population migrates from rural villages and towns to large cities, such as Bogotá and Medellín, where there are opportunities for safety, income and improvised shelter.[2] Referencing existing models for Colombian housing and shelter for IDPs and street kids, this research examines the needs of the displaced population and creates a set of criteria for a long-term, integrative housing solution. This thesis focuses on internally displaced youths and women in the Southern-Pacific region of Colombia, as they make up the largest portion of registered IDPs and refugees in Colombia.[3] The goal of the project is to design the user’s progression through a system of increasingly supportive levels: “Entrance to the shelter,” “Full-time residence,” “Reintegration to society.” The site and program encourage commensalism, or relationship where one part benefits from the other without causing harm, with the surrounding community. This thesis also references studies of community-based design, low-cost and sustainable housing, transitional shelters, and homeless communities. [1] "Colombia." UNHCR News. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2016. . [2] Ibid. [3] Ibid.

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The main goal with this essay has been to study how previous research and media report on the discussion around homelessness and how this impacts society’s view on homelessness. We chose to review previous research and media reporting to see how the phenomenon is discussed and portrayed, both historically and in the present. Throughout the essay, we have tried to explain how this affects the view of homelessness, both for the person who is homeless and also for the population in general, as well as what the consequences of this will be. The essay contains international research but has a predominantly Swedish perspective because it is in our interest to examine the subject in the country we live in. The method we worked on was a so-called literature study where we compiled the literature we dealt with in order to get answers to our main questions. We have used social constructivism and agenda setting as theoretical starting points. Our results show that the discussion around homelessness is constantly ongoing and that there are many aspects that influence the phenomenon and the view of it.