Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2005. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, 2005. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 253-260).

The purpose of this dissertation is to provide an academic platform for people who are homeless to narrate their lived experiences. Traditionally, scholars and politicians drive public conversations about homelessness and commonly reach conclusions that require more social programs and more funding. In the literature review of this dissertation, I argue that many social programs for the homeless, while well intended, fall short of their goals because scholars and politicians do not appreciate the idea that homeless people are part of a distinct culture with different lifestyles and objectives. Because of the cultural differences between the housed and the homeless, social programs that may work for the housed may not work for the homeless. Therefore, to create policy that will best function for the homeless, it is important to learn about the culture of homelessness by listening to the voices of homeless people. In an effort to learn about the culture of homelessness, in this dissertation I utilize the narrative paradigm as a theoretical framework and ask: How do homeless people narrate their experiences?; What types of experiences and relationships do homeless people have with government benefits and charitable organizations?; and How would homeless people craft economic and social policy if given the opportunity to do so? To answer these questions, I spent one summer working at a homeless shelter and interviewed 10 homeless people. While each person had an individual story, there were common themes that emerged among participants. These themes were arranged chronologically and analyzed in chapters entitled: Losing Everything, Navigating the System, Manipulating the System, and Seeking Recognition/Finding Community. Based on my analysis of these narratives, I propose suggestions for how public policy can better respond to the needs of the homeless by offering long-term shelter assistance, connecting benefits to work and education performance, and educating the housed about the resources available for the homeless in their community. In the end, implementing policies that address homelessness should be done in conversation with the homeless. The voices of homeless people matter and intercultural dialogue between the housed and the homeless fosters a sense of mutual respect, personal empowerment, and shared ownership of public policy.

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Sojourners, or people who live in a foreign country for a limited period of time, must prepare to communicate effectively in a foreign culture. Current theory suggests that sojourners learn to develop primary social interaction schemas to prepare for intercultural communication. Because sojourners may not stay in a country long enough to develop schemas, sojourners could benefit from a tool designed to help them acquire schemas for their host countries. Conceptual and situation metaphors can help sojourners gain useful insights into the cultures they prepare to face. To investigate metaphors that may assist sojourners, international students studying in the United States were interviewed to uncover the metaphors they already used to describe their experiences, as well as to see if new metaphors could be created to assist future sojourners. The conceptual and situation metaphors uncovered are discussed in within the framework of schemas. / Master of Arts