Resident identified strengths and challenges of project-based permanent supportive housing program implementation in a small metropolitan county

ABSTRACT

Abstract: Permanent supportive housing (PSH) programs modeled in the Housing First approach have been widely implemented in the United States for housing individuals who have experienced chronic homelessness. Yet within the evidence base, resident experiences and perceptions of Project-Based PSH program implementation are less understood, and there is no research on resident experiences of project-based program implementation within small metropolitan communities in the United States. Utilizing a collaborative approach founded in the principles of participatory action research (PAR) to orientate research processes, we critically examine resident-identified strengths and challenges of living at St. Mary’s House, a Project-Based PSH program in Whatcom County, Washington. Data analysis of participant observation and semi-structured interviews explore the positive and negative dimensions of program surveillance measures and living together in PSH, as well as how program “exits” undermine residents’ expectations of permanency. The implications from our findings highlight the importance of both listening directly to residents, and developing resident-driven programming expressly designed for meaningful and inclusive participation.

KEYWORDS:

• Permanent supportive housing
• participatory action research (PAR)
• program implementation
• residents
• housing policy

Acknowledgments

We wish to thank the program director and residents who participated in this research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Notes

1. This initiative was first articulated by the National Alliance to End Homelessness in 2000 in the report entitled, “A Plan, Not a Dream: How to End Homelessness in 10 Years.”

2. For further explanation on the relevance of hanging-out see “Straighter from the Source: Alternative Methods of Researching Homelessness” (Rosenthal, 1991).

3. Due to specific questions addressed in this article, the authors have excluded the use of resident-generated Photovoice data. Photovoice is a qualitative method where participants use photography, and the stories about their photos, to identify and represent issues important to them (Wang & Burris, 1997).

4. The term “exit” is used by staff to indicate a resident’s departure from St. Mary’s House programming. The term is flexibly applied to describe residents who either return to homelessness or move into other supportive housing.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Western Washington University, Fund for the Enhancement of Graduate Research.

Notes on contributors

Sean Bruna

Peter Miterko has an MA in anthropology from the Department of Anthropology, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington. His research focuses on homelessness and the implementation of Housing First. He also holds a BS (Honors) in Social Science from Westminster College, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. He currently works as a Permanent Supportive Housing Case Manager with Northwest Youth Services, in Bellingham, Washington.

Sean Bruna is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington. With degrees in anthropology and ethnography, and trained in health policy by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, his primary research addresses chronic disease prevention, community health, and applied methodologies.