Being homeless : an ethnographic study of women's experiences in a shelter

Abstract

This field research used ethnographic techniques to study women's experiences ~f homelessness while living in a shelter. A feminist approach which values women and the knowledge that women can share provided an orientating framework for this study. Data were collected by means of participant observation and in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 23 homeless women living in a shelter. A constant comparative analysis of the data yielded two major domains of the experiences of homelessness: Disc.onnected-Loss of Major Support and Rebuilding--The Regrouping of Assets. Themes within the first domain 1 included disaffiliation, significant loss, homelessness hurts, facing uncertainty, and being pressured. Themes within the second domain were heightened awareness, making adjustments, living with limitations, a period of growth, and taking a proactive stance. A model of the experiences of womens' homelessness in a shelter was developed. Women experience vulnerability throughout the homeless experience, but ,it is most intense whe11 the women are disconnected from major sources of support. Vulnerability lessens as the women begin to rebuild their lives. The women in this study exhibited a proactive behavior during Rebuilding which has not previously been described in the literature. The shelter used by the women in this study provided a "resource rich" environment that undoubtedly contributed to the women's proactivity and to Rebuilding.