Making a shelter a home: Insights from service providers, emergency shelter users, and supported housing residents
| dc.contributor.advisor | Ronis, Scott | |
| dc.contributor.author | Kabbash, Laura | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-01-21T18:06:56Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-01-21T18:06:56Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2024-12 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Homelessness is a critical and pervasive issue in Canada, with at least 22,000 Canadians estimated to access emergency shelters daily and as many as 300,000 persons a year unsheltered at some time (Statistics Canada, 2019; Strobel et al., 2021). Although previous research has highlighted social and structural factors associated with homelessness (Anderson & Christian, 2003; Liu et al., 2021; Philipps, 2012; Stafford & Wood, 2017), including low income, lack of affordable or subsidized housing, limited housing and support services (Schiff et al., 2015), mental illness, addictions, gender politics and prior experiences of homelessness and poverty (Abramovich & Pang, 2020; Weissman, 2012), considerably less research has examined factors that impact relevant service utilization. The aim of the current dissertation was to build upon research (e.g., Cheng et al., 2007; Kirst et al., 2015; Macnaughton et al., 2017) which generally demonstrates that adequate service use helps individuals enter and retain stable, long-term housing by improving our understanding of how these individuals determine their needs, seek support, and navigate services. A series of three qualitative interview studies were conducted with: (1) housing and support service providers (N = 11), (2) service users of an emergency housing shelter (N = 15), and (3) residents of a peer supportive housing unit (N = 10). Based on Thematic Analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006), interviews garnered insights about preferred housing types and service use, substance use, mental health, client/staff interaction, rule enforcement, policing implications, social stigma, political policy, funding, housing acquisition and successful tenancy. Participants from the three study groups highlighted the need for affordable housing, a preference for the supportive housing environment over emergency shelter and identified numerous practical barriers to service engagement. The current dissertation centered the lived experience of individuals experiencing homelessness and identified tangible targets for change at governmental policy and individual agency levels, with the hope of maximizing service use and successful long-term tenancy. | |
| dc.description.copyright | © Laura Kabbash, 2024 | |
| dc.format.extent | xii, 339 | |
| dc.format.medium | electronic | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://unbscholar.lib.unb.ca/handle/1882/38232 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | University of New Brunswick | |
| dc.rights | http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2 | |
| dc.subject.discipline | Psychology | |
| dc.title | Making a shelter a home: Insights from service providers, emergency shelter users, and supported housing residents | |
| dc.type | doctoral thesis | |
| oaire.license.condition | other | |
| thesis.degree.discipline | Psychology | |
| thesis.degree.grantor | University of New Brunswick | |
| thesis.degree.level | doctorate | |
| thesis.degree.name | Ph.D. |