Adverse childhood experiences in a pathway to single adult homelessness in Hamilton, New Zealand

Abstract

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can contribute to housing instability and risk of homelessness, featuring disproportionately in the life histories of many people experiencing homelessness. However, little is known about the prevalence and lifelong impact of ACEs among people experiencing homelessness in New Zealand, a country experiencing increasing homelessness levels amid a housing affordability crisis. Drawing on data from 100 questionnaire surveys and 11 interviews with participants registered with The People’s Project, a Housing First homeless service in Hamilton, we explore the prevalence and role of ACEs in homeless journeys, identifying a common pathway to homelessness among participants. Some varying factors contributing additionally for Māori (indigenous people) were identified. Our findings showed ACEs were commonly reported by participants, often preceding a series of disruptive events across participants’ lives. Accumulations of adverse events, coupled with structural and other constraints, contributed to housing insecurity across lifespans. Results highlight the importance of trauma-informed homelessness initiatives, such as Housing First, as well as measures aimed at reducing upstream drivers of homelessness such as poverty, structural racism, and the ongoing impacts of colonisation in New Zealand.

Keywords:

• Adverse childhood events (ACE)
• homelessness
• pathways to homelessness
• Indigenous homelessness
• Housing First
• tauma-informed support

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Percentages of total number of all participants by gender (male n = 64, female n = 36) or ethnicity (Māori n = 58, non-Māori n = 42).

2 Percentages of total of all participants by gender (male n = 64, female n = 36) or ethnicity (Māori n = 58, non-Māori n = 42).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Carole McMinn

Carole McMinn is Manager of The People’s Project, a Housing First homeless service in Hamilton, New Zealand. She has participated in adapting the Housing First approach to alleviating homelessness in New Zealand. Carole also participates in ongoing research with the University of Waikato in Hamilton New Zealand, and the University of Otago in Wellington, New Zealand aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of the Housing First approach, as well as collecting evidence about contributing factors to homelessness. She is passionate about sharing her knowledge and experience about the pathway to homelessness identified in her research and translating these findings into appropriate policy and systemic change.

Damian Collins

Damian Collins is a professor in the Faculty of Science at the University of Alberta, Canada. He is a human geographer who focuses on issues of housing, including the human right to adequate housing, and homelessness, especially in urban contexts (where 83% of Canadians live). His work contributes to addressing the housing affordability crisis in Canada, and to educating and training students to take on roles in housing policy, programming and provision. Damian is also a Director of the Community Housing Canada Research Partnership.

Polly Atatoa-Carr

Polly Atatoa-Carr is an associate professor with Te Ngira, the Institute for Population Research at the University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand. Polly’s research and clinical practice focuses on the broader determinants of population health and wellbeing equity, particularly for tamariki (children) and rangatahi/mapū (youth) within the context of whānau (family) and community. Polly is passionate about developing robust evidence to support population health and policy translation and is committed to Te Tiriti o Waitangi (The treaty of Waitangi), anti-racism intervention, equity, social justice and community empowerment. Polly is also a Public Health Physician within Child and Youth Health at Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand, and National Director of Training for the New Zealand College of Public Health Medicine.

John Oetzel

John Oetzel is a professor of health and intercultural communication in the University of Waikato’s Management School. He uses community-engaged research to collaboratively work with communities to address various health issues to improve health equity. His current work includes the collaborative development of interventions with two Māori health and social service organisations related to housing (He Kāinga Pai Rawa, Building Better Homes Towns & Cities National Science Challenge) and with 11 Māori health organisations on positive ageing (Kaumātua Mana Motuhake Pōī, Ageing Well National Science Challenge). He is also part of a team developing an implementation research network of Māori and Pacific community providers and research to facilitate research into practice to support health equity (Healthier Lives National Science Challenge & Ministry of Health). He was also part of a US NIH-funded project to examine promising practices in community-engaged research (Engage for Equity).