“It feels like I’m a step closer to my ultimate goal of stable housing:” a qualitative study of unhoused people’s experiences in alternative shelters in Portland

ABSTRACT

In recent years, alternatives to congregate shelters have emerged, including tiny home villages and motel conversions. Existing research indicates that these alternative shelter modalities are associated with positive outcomes for shelter guests. This qualitative study was conducted with 11 participants staying in three alternative shelters tailored to support specific groups: lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) people, women, and medically vulnerable people. Participants reported a number of facilitators and barriers to meeting their personal goals (e.g., permanent housing, medical care). Key facilitators included the relative privacy, autonomy, and safety of alternative shelters, and support for guests with marginalized identities. Barriers included difficulty navigating housing systems, and lack of internet and mail access. Given the drawbacks of congregate shelters, these new models are promising options to support unhoused people when permanent housing is not yet available.

KEYWORDS:

• Alternative shelter
• tiny home village
• motel shelter
• housing
• homelessness

Acknowledgements

Thank you to Claudia Sharygin and Doc Ramblings for their collaboration.

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Joint Office of Homeless Services.

Notes on contributors

Emily Leickly

Emily Leickly is a postdoctoral research associate in the department of community and behavioral health at Washington State University, and previously an adjunct research associate at Portland State University's (PSU) Homelessness Research and Action Collaborative, a multidisciplinary research center dedicated to addressing issues related to homelessness.

Jacen Greene

Jacen Greene is a co-founder and assistant director of the Homelessness Research and Action Collaborative, previously managed social innovation programs in Portland State University's School of Business, and is an instructor, speaker, and author on social entrepreneurship.

Todd Ferry

Todd Ferry is a cofounder of the Homelessness Research and Action Collaborative, and a senior research associate and faculty fellow at the Center for Public Interest Design within the Portland State University School of Architecture.