Rolling forward: addressing needs in the homeless community

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this pilot study was to use a bottom up, or grounded, approach to understand, from the perspective of the individuals living in the homeless community, what they feel would enable them to become housed and stay permanently housed. Organizations which serve homeless individuals often use a top down approach and implement programs without asking the homeless what they most need to find permanent housing. This project used intensive interviews to determine the needs of unhoused individuals in a mid-sized city with a tourist-centered economy in the south eastern United States. Working local homeless shelters, and various other intermediaries we collected data from 102 homeless individuals and 11 service providers. The major theme that emerged in our research is that the homeless individuals we interviewed were, for the most part, they were able to meet many of their basic needs, such as securing food, clothing, a place to bathe and wash their clothes, as well as obtain physical and mental care. However, they perceived lack of reliable and affordable transportation to be a significant barrier to obtaining and maintaining employment, making and keeping appointments, and maintaining their social support network.

KEYWORDS:

• Homeless
• homeless shelters
• transportation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Sara Brallier, PhD, is a professor of sociology at Coastal Carolina University. Her research focuses on food insecurity and structural barriers faced by individual experiencing homelessness. She is a co-founder of the Rolling Forward Project, a program designed to help homeless individuals overcome barriers.

Stephanie Southworth, PhD, is a lecturer of sociology at Coastal Carolina University. Her research focuses on poverty, economic stratification, and education. She is a co-founder of the Rolling Forward Project, a program designed to meet the needs of the homeless.

Brenda Ryan is the Director of Operations for New Directions. Brenda is passionate about empowering and inspiring everyone she meets. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies from San Diego State University and a Master of Arts degree in Educational Administration from University of Central Missouri.

ORCID

Stephanie Southworth http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1122-9399

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Coastal Carolina University.