Homelessness and the High Performance Cycle: A New Lens for Studying Exit Strategies

ABSTRACT

Although social work scholarship has recognized the presence and utility of goals and goal setting among the homeless, the literature remains underdeveloped. This study evaluates the extent to which the work motivation literature, mostly applied in formal business settings, can improve current understandings of how persons successfully escape homelessness. Specifically, this study focuses on the high performance cycle, a model in organizational behavior research that outlines the specific processes involved in setting and achieving goals and that provides a robust framework for analyzing goal setting among homeless persons. The article compares those who have successfully exited homelessness to those who remain chronically homeless using 40 in-depth, semistructured interviews with homeless center clients in a multicity area in the Intermountain West. Interviews addressed the employment and housing histories of research participants, their views about living unhoused, and their attempts to exit homelessness. The participants' narratives matched themes described in goal-setting research, which suggests the utility of adopting processes outlined by the high performance cycle when assisting clients in exiting homelessness. Social service professionals can benefit by incorporating the goal-setting scholarship in their work with homeless populations. Future research might use quantitative surveys and experiments to determine the generalizability of this exploratory analysis.     

From Community Organization to Direct Services: The Street Trans Action Revolutionaries to Sylvia Rivera Law Project

ABSTRACT

The literature on transgender social services is limited. Taking a case study approach, this article examines the needs of chronically underserved lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) populations, particularly homeless transgender street youth, and efforts of community-based organizations to address them. To consider their needs, this article considers the legacy of transgender activist Sylvia Rivera along with four organizations that grew out of her work: the Street Trans Action Revolutionaries, Sylvia's Place, Sylvia Rivera Law Project, and New Alternatives for LGBT Youth. These organizations show the promise for using multiple methods, from direct action to direct services, while connecting the lessons of social movements with social services. Future recommendations for improving research and services are highlighted.     

Disaster Research in Social Work

SUMMARY

Disaster research in social work has deep roots in the profession'S history of disaster relief, social work'S mission to create resources and make them accessible to people, and the profession'S service to vulnerable populations. Social workers have important and unique contributions to make to disaster research through their expertise in ecological approaches, prevention, stress and coping, and promoting change in micro and macro systems. Disaster research in social work borrows primarily from psychology and sociology, and is conducted in clinical, organizational, and community contexts. Further social work research on disaster promises improved theory, measurement, and practice in situations of collective Stress.     

Social Context of Service Use Among Homeless Youth in Los Angeles,California

ABSTRACT

Little is known about rates and correlates of service use or the role that social context plays in service engagement among homeless youth. This study compares two distinct service areas and uses a social network approach to examine how environmental factors (e.g., neighborhood), social factors (e.g., social capital and network engagement) and individual level factors that relate to service use patterns among homeless youth in Los Angeles, California. A sample of 938 youth was recruited from three drop-in centers in two distinct service sites. Individuals were surveyed about their individual and social network attributes. Univariable and multivariable analyses were utilized to understand the influence of social-contextual variables on service use. Service use behaviors varied across site and service type with youth in Hollywood showing greater engagement than youth at the Beach site. Across both sites and several service types, staff emotional support was positively correlated with levels of service use. The site comparisons also point to the fact that even within a single geographic area, like Los Angeles County, client profiles and rates of service use can significantly vary. Future research needs are presented with specific emphasis on understanding the needs of non-service-seeking youth.     

“Don't Leave Me Hanging”: Homeless Mothers’ Perceptions of Service Providers

ABSTRACT

Few interventions have been developed for substance-abusing homeless mothers. Among those interventions, high dropout rates (up to 85%) are consistently reported. Understanding homeless mothers’ experiences with service providers may be an important first step to understanding ways to increase treatment engagement. Therefore, the current study used qualitative methods to gain a better understanding of homeless mothers’ perceptions of service providers. A total of 28 mothers who were currently residing at a homeless shelter in a Midwestern city participated in three focus groups. Overall, mothers held negative perceptions of service providers related to understanding, support, and fear. Based upon this study's findings, recommendations are offered to improve service delivery and guide future research.     

Perceptions of Students about Younger and Older Men and Women who May Be Homeless

ABSTRACT

Future human service providers will interact with homeless persons in health, mental health, and social service practice contexts. This study investigated the perceptions of students enrolled in social work courses who are pursuing degrees in human service programs toward older and younger female and male homeless individuals. Respondents (N = 207) were given one of four vignettes in which a character was identified as an older male, a younger male, an older female, or a younger female who was frequently seen near an interstate highway, talking to him/herself and appearing unkempt, thin, and frail. Most respondents perceived the vignette character as mentally ill, neglectful of health, likely to have HIV, tuberculosis, hepatitis A and/or hepatitis B and/or hepatitis C, likely to experience suicidal thoughts/ideation, and to have head lice/scabies/body lice. Older men were more likely to be perceived as military veterans with a history of mental illness and substance abuse. Older women were least likely to be perceived as having a history of substance abuse or using a handout to purchase ethanol. Older women were perceived to be homeless because they could not afford other living accommodations. A general linear model revealed significant differences in 7 of 41 items that respondents answered based on the gender and age of the vignette characters. These perceptual differences between male and female homeless persons will require additional investigation.     

Blueprint for Creating a Social Work-Centered Disaster Relief Initiative

Abstract

The damage to New Orleans and the Gulf Coast caused by Hurricane Katrina and the resulting need for comprehensive and sustained assistance to affected communities and families revealed limitations in conventional disaster responses. A blueprint for creating a disaster relief initiative was developed by a school of social work and a local human service organization. This, then, became the impetus for creating a three-stage, family-focused, extended disaster relief initiative. Using ecological theory and service-learning as frameworks, the initiative helped address the needs of families who moved to Athens, Georgia in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The responsive, adaptable, and sustainable nature of this model in addressing both immediate and long-term needs of the families is presented. Process evaluation and data on the helpfulness of the model by stakeholders who participated in the project are also provided. Implications are directed to social workers, educators, helping professionals, and policymakers who respond to such disasters .     

The disaster relief and social work after the Wenchuan earthquake in Mainland China

ABSTRACT

This paper mainly focuses on the development of disaster social work in Mainland China and the intervention of social work in disaster relief. Before the Wenchuan earthquake and in the initial stage of post-earthquake, disaster social work was mainly based on individual psychotherapy; from the earthquake to the year of 2012 in which post-earthquake recovery and reconstruction was completed, the disaster relief began to emphasise community building and integration, while the basic framework for disaster social work was also established. Social workers begin to explore the new mode of developmental and localised disaster social work. By combining with the practical experiences from disaster social work, this paper tries to highlight the dilemmas confronting disaster relief in Mainland China and put forward some corresponding countermeasures and suggestions, which could improve the future disaster relief system in Mainland China.     

Access to Disaster Services

ABSTRACT

This study uses geographic and network analysis, and regression techniques, to examine access to services for vulnerable populations in disaster, and offer potential interventions to improve access. The population for this study is 67 organizations providing disaster social services in a U.S. metropolitan area, and an additional 25 organizations which are willing to provide these services but do not have a formal disaster relief function. The findings from this study indicate a lack of relief services for vulnerable populations, including African-Americans, people over 75 years old, and female-headed households with young children. During a disaster, a type of social injustice results from (a) the vulnerability of these populations to disaster, (b) the higher vulnerability to disaster of the areas in which these populations reside, (c) the smaller number of organizations serving these areas, (d) the lower capacities and network interaction of these local organizations, and (e) the formidable geographic barriers slowing redistribution of resources in a disaster. If connectedness of smaller, informal organizations to the disaster network were improved, otherwise isolated organizations could be a source of substantial resources for the metropolitan area. Suggestions are offered for interventions, based on services coordination (Provan & Milward, 1995) and community organization models (Soliman, 1996), for correcting the lack of access to services documented by this study.     

Volunteerism Among Social Work Students During Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

Abstract

This study examined volunteer activities and predictors of volunteerism among graduate and undergraduate social work students (N = 416) from four universities in the Gulf Coast area following hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The convenience sample drawn from all social work students at these universities included 89% females, and 52% of the students were in a master's level program. Sixty-one percent of the respondents were African American and 31% were non-Hispanic white. The majority of students volunteered (97%) despite experiencing a range of hurricane-related stressors. Multivariate analyses yielded a regression model that best predicted heightened volunteerism, which included age, school site, previous volunteer experience, hurricane-related stressors, altruism, and increased commitment to social work values (R ² = .35). The strongest predictors of volunteerism were stressor, increased commitment to social work values, and altruism (betas = .30, .26, and .21 respectively). The findings are consistent with previous research on volunteering in times of disaster and with current thinking about posttraumatic growth .     

An Ecological Systems Comparison Between Homeless Sexual Minority Youths and Homeless Heterosexual Youths

ABSTRACT

This study examined risk and protective outcomes by comparing homeless sexual minority youths to heterosexual homeless youths regarding family, peer behaviors, school, mental health, stigma, discrimination, substance use, and sexual risk behaviors. Structured interviews (N = 147) were conducted with individuals aged 16 to 24 years old in Toronto. Bivariate analyses indicated statistically significant differences between homeless sexual minorities (n = 66) and their heterosexual counterparts (n = 81) regarding all variables: family, peer behaviors, stigma, discrimination, mental health, substance use, and sexual risk behaviors, with the exception of school belonging. Implications for future research are suggested.     

A perfect storm: Challenges encountered by family caregivers of persons with Alzheimer’s disease during natural disasters

ABSTRACT

Since Hurricane Katrina there has been a movement across the U.S. to examine best practice for disaster response within the aging population. However, little is known about the experience of natural disasters from the perspective of family caregivers of persons with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia (ADRD). In this exploratory, qualitative study, family caregivers (n=27) were interviewed about their experience with the historic 2015 South Carolina flood. By using thematic analysis, themes were identified to better understand what unique challenges caregivers of person with ADRD experienced. While many caregivers stated they had experienced a natural disaster previously, none had ever done so in their current caregiving role. The caregiving role affected their ability to prepare for the storm and influenced their decision-making regarding evacuation and utilization of recovery resources. Thus, caregivers were confronted by a “perfect storm” of circumstances and uncertainty. Family caregivers need to have actionable emergency plans for disasters that are specific to their role as caregivers of persons with ADRD. Study implications also suggest the role social work professionals can have in educating, advocating, evaluating, and coordinating support to assist caregivers of persons with ADRD as a potentially vulnerable and at-risk population during all phases of disaster.     

Disaster Outreach Service Provision

ABSTRACT

This article reports preliminary findings on the development of an index that measures outreach workers' perceptions of the provision of services to survivors of natural disasters. Data were collected from a sample of 64 outreach counselors who worked for Project Recovery during the Great Flood of 1993 along the Mississippi River in Illinois. Factor analyses were used to identify a 15 item index. The fifteen items represent five factors which explained 82.2% of the variance among the items. The resulting Disaster Outreach Service Provision (DOSP) Index has acceptable reliability estimates (Alpha = .83) and appears normally distributed. The index represents an important step in filling the need for measurement instruments designed specifically for use in natural disaster situations. Such instruments can be used in evaluating the provision of disaster relief services and in conducting disaster related research.     

Part III: A student learns casework

Abstract

When homeless and severely mentally ill individuals leave housing programs designed to help them achieve stability, their very lives become at risk. Despite the prevalence of this problem and its potentially life-threatening consequences, there is a complete dearth of case studies examining why clients in programs for the homeless and mentally ill suddenly depart from those programs, and how paranoid and other seemingly unreachable clients can significantly improve the quality of their lives. This single case study, utilizing a naturalistic methodology, provides a before and after picture of a client who precipitously left a housing program, then returned two years later in a state of severe physical and mental decompensation. The study focuses on understanding why the client left the program the first time and what could be done to prevent another premature discharge. The findings point to a lack of coordination of care and problems with stable human interaction on the part of those caring for Charles, and are critical to understanding how to engage successfully with homeless and severely mentally ill clients.     

On the Brink of Disaster

Abstract

In recent years mental health professionals have become increasingly aware of their role in ameliorating the impact of disaster and have begun to develop models for systematizing interventions. As many have noted, however, these models are largely based on clinical wisdom due to the dearth of empirical data on disaster and its social and psychological consequences. This article describes one model of disaster intervention, the Triple ABCD Model, and provides evidence-based guidelines for determining possible hazards and risks to both individuals and communities. Key factors considered are intentionality, predictability, time frame, degree of threat, location, extent of disruption and destruction, and timeliness and sustainability of the outside resources. Implications for practice include the importance of considering both individual and community factors in assessing risk and resilience; the need for mental health practitioners to exercise both clinical and community building skills when responding to disaster; and the importance of training and education of mental health professionals that include emergency planning and response with a focus on supporting the public at both an individual and community level.     

The Political Role of Social Work: Grasping the Momentum of Working Through Interorganizational Networks in Belgium

ABSTRACT

This article explores how social workers deal with the ambiguity that arises from their ability to transform the private needs of individuals into issues of public concern. It is argued that the current shift towards joined-up working, which is epitomized by the creation of interorganizational networks, could encourage new opportunities for social work. These horizontal and nonhierarchical forms of cooperation serve as platforms for debate to ensure regular discussions about the causes of and potential solutions to complex societal problems. This article relies on a case-study of bottom-up networks in two Belgian cities where social workers from various policy fields voluntarily joined forces to look after hard-to-reach groups of homeless people. The primary data were obtained from document analysis, semi-structured interviews with network participants, and direct observations of network meetings. These data were analyzed by conducting a directed content analysis. The examination shows that the joint creation of welfare services leads to substantial debates among social workers about the criteria which homeless people must meet in order to be provided with welfare services and primary care. The paper shows that despite being aware of differing viewpoints by their engagement in such debates, social workers are reluctant to challenge the dominant conceptualizations underlying their own day-to-day practices, and that this impacts on the potential to induce local policymakers to take further action with regard to reducing homelessness.     

Disaster Preparedness among Older Adults: Social Support,Community Participation,and Demographic Characteristics

This study examined factors associated with disaster preparedness among older adults, with special attention paid to demographic characteristics, social support, and community participation. From a larger study about disaster preparedness of persons with disabilities, a total of 719 adults aged 55 years and older were used for this study. The results of the logistic regressions indicate that individuals who have higher levels of social support and more connections to community organizations are more likely to be prepared for disaster-related emergency situations. In another model, using resource preparedness as the dependent variable, an interaction effect between social support and income was found. Overall, higher income and higher informal support are related to a higher level of resources for disaster preparedness. However, the relationship between income and disaster preparedness is much stronger for those sub-groups receiving more informal support. The findings of this study expand knowledge regarding issues of disaster preparedness among older adults and demonstrates the importance of social resources and networks. This study suggests an intervention model for decision-makers and community leaders in terms of providing information and advice to members of their communities about how to adequately prepare for natural disasters.     

灾区可持续生计资产现状分析——基于5·12地震三个重灾区的个案研究

5·12地震给受灾地区带来重大创伤,对当地人民生产、生活和地区的可持续发展构成了重大挑战。对自然灾害以及灾民灾后恢复情况的研究,具有重要的理论和政策意义。本研究正是基于汶川地震极重灾区进行的大规模走访调查,用统一的研究框架,分析目前灾区可持续生计现状。可持续生计框架的核心是5种生计资产,分别为自然资本、物质资本、金融资本、人力资本和社会资本。