Structural violence and food insecurity in the lives of formerly homeless young adults living in permanent supportive housing

ABSTRACT

In this study, we explore the interconnections between structural violence and food insecurity in the lives of formerly homeless young adults living in permanent supportive housing. Using photovoice, participants identified several forms of structural violence that constrain their ability to access adequate and healthy food, including: insufficient funding through government assistance programs to cover monthly food costs; the lack of affordable, healthy food vendors in proximity to the permanent supportive housing building; and corporate policies at restaurants and grocery stores that prohibit the donation of edible food to employees or to people experiencing homelessness. Participants also reported several strategies for adapting to food insecurity, including rationing, creative combinations of food, and scavenging. Our data suggest that participants’ experiences of food insecurity contributed to feelings of stigma and shame, especially when they were unable to adequately feed themselves or their pets. Implications for programs and policies that address food insecurity for this population are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Food insecurity
• structural violence
• permanent supportive housing
• homelessness
• youth
• photovoice

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the Community Housing Partnerships (CHP) for their support. We would also like to thank Jess Lin and Sarah Dobbins for their assistance with the study design and data collection, as well as all of the young adult participants in the study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by a Berkeley Food Institute 2015 Seed Grant.