Waiting for shelter: Perspectives on a homeless shelter's procedures

This study used qualitative methods to understand the experiences of shelter seekers who were on a shelter waitlist (N = 59), including individuals who entered the shelter from the waitlist, and those removed from the shelter waitlist for procedural reasons. The average waitlist time was nearly 3 weeks, and 22.0% stayed at least one night on the street or another public place while on the waitlist. Responses to open‐ended questions regarding barriers and effectiveness of the shelter referral procedures revealed 4 themes: procedural challenges, procedural benefits, benefits of the temporary stay, and communication challenges. Further research is needed to inform shelter implementation on a larger scale in accordance with current community‐wide efforts to coordinate shelter services.

Source: Journal of Community Psychology - May 8, 2017 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Molly Brown, Martina Mihelicova, Jennifer Lyons, Jennifer DeFonzo, Samantha Torello, Andr és Carrión, Allison N. Ponce Tags: ARTICLE Source Type: research