The Role of Caregivers in Shelters for Women Experiencing Homelessness: A Victimological Approach

Research shows that those who experience homelessness have both past traumatic events and experience trauma during their time on the streets. (Aguilar Delgado & Nunes, 2022). For these reasons, their recovery journey while they are temporarily housed in a homeless shelter is dependent on their own traumatic experiences and on the experiences of those who also reside in the shelter; this perpetuates their vulnerable condition and makes them almost entirely dependent on the caregivers in charge of that facility, even though the role of social service providers at organizations for combating homelessness is unclear. The purpose of this chapter is to discover the importance of the role of caregivers in the healing journey of their clients. This study consists of a qualitative analysis of interviews conducted at three social service providers at St. Vincent de Paul’s Ozanam Manor, a shelter for people experiencing homelessness in Phoenix, Arizona. The findings reveal that the role of caregivers was of high importance; moreover, there were three main aspects that contributed to their role: the meaning of Trauma-Informed Care for social service providers, building rapport with the clients, and the caregivers’ self-awareness. The expectation of this study is to initiate this pivotal conversation and potentially improve the quality of care provided to people experiencing homelessness

Improving the 14c dating of marine shells from the Canary Islands for constructing more reliable and accurate chronologies

Radiocarbon dating of closely associated marine mollusk shells and terrestrial material (charred wood or bone) collected from archaeological contexts on Tenerife and Fuerteventura islands allowed us to quantify the marine C-14 reservoir effect (Delta R) around the Canary Archipelago. Coastal Fuerteventura has a positive weighted mean Delta R value of +185 +/- 30 C-14 yr, while for Tenerife a range of negative and positive values was obtained, resulting in a Delta R weighted mean value of 0 +/- 35 C-14 yr. These values are in accordance with the hydrodynamic system present off the Canary Islands characterized by a coastal upwelling regime that affects the eastern islands (Fuerteventura and Lanzarote) but not the other islands of the archipelago, namely Tenerife. Because of this oceanographic pattern, we recommend the extrapolation of these results to the remaining islands of the archipelago, i.e. the first value must be used for the eastern islands, while for the central and western islands the acceptable Delta R value is 0 +/- 35 C-14 yr

Examining Gender-Specific and Trauma-Informed Care for Traumatized Homeless Women

Research indicates mixed shelters do not respond adequately to the needs of homeless women that have suffered trauma-related events; as female victims, these women are part of two systematically vulnerable populations who are subject to constant revictimization when trying to reintegrate into society. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the services delivered to adult homeless women who have been affected by trauma-related events make them feel safe, and whether the services provision is both gender specific and based on a trauma-informed approach. St. Vincent de Paul’s Ozanam Manor is a mixed gender transitional shelter serving homeless seniors in the Phoenix area. A recent program evaluation indicated that several of its female clients had revealed concerns of being revictimized in the shelter. This research study employed qualitative methodology, and the data was drawn from seven in-depth interviews. The analysis was conducted via naturalistic perspective to study homeless women in their own natural settings and to provide a rich, contextualized understanding of trauma and victimization experiences. The findings of the study revealed that the residents are given the assistance and support they require to heal from their trauma, and that emotional and psychological requirements are critical aspects to healing. Also, it was found that fear of men was not the main issue for women in a mixed transitional shelter. Instead, their concerns were focused on the coexistence between the female residents and the problem-solving process followed by the agency. A great percentage of homeless women have been exposed to additional forms of trauma, such as neglect, psychological, physical, and/or sexual abuse during a given stage of their lives (Hopper et.al., 2010). By understanding the dangers and challenges that a homeless woman who has been exposed to trauma may confront, the way society perceives others who have experienced similar traumatic situations, regardless of gender or color, may improve

Social use and consequences of PGIS in local communities: a structurationist analysis of Sierra Nevada Project

The aim of this paper is to understand the social use and the consequences of PGIS in local communities, more specifically in Sierra Nevada, Mexico. In order to investigate the use of ICT by communities, we applied a multilevel and structurationist framework that articulates three dimensions: context, process and content. The results of our study draw attention to the implications of using PGIS not only as a technological tool in the strict sense, but as a process with the potential to achieve commitment across different social groups, even if they have distinct interests and skills. In addition, the consequences of its use for the communities are more likely to be related to the effectiveness of the underlying learning and emancipation processes

La Cobertera vegetal en el olivar : un método de producción agroecológico

Les actuals pràctiques agrícoles són un factor que contribueix a la degradació del medi ambient i de l'espai natural. A fi de pal_liar aquesta situació, la Comunitat Europea, a través del Consell d'Europa, ha produit una sèrie de normes que regeixen la política agrària comunitària (PAC) actual. En aquest treball s'estudia un mètode de producció que té com a fi protegir el medi ambient i restablir l'equilibri ecològic a les zones afectades. Aquest mètode, conegut com no-conreu amb coberta vegetal, consisteix en mantenir el sòl dins la zona corresponent a la copa de l'olivera amb una aplicació d'herbicida cada any, mentres es deixen crèixer les males herbes a la resta de terreny, controlant-les amb escardes periòdiques. El mètode es avantatjós per a l'economia de l'agricultor i per al medi natural en el que es troba. car per un cantó es redueixen els costos de collita, maquinària, adobs, etcètera i per altra banda el sistema no perjudica el medi, ja que frena el procès erosiu, augmenta la infiltració del sòl, redueix l'escorriment, no destrueix l'estructura edàfica, etc. etcLas actuales prácticas agrícolas constituyen un factor que contribuye a la degradación del medio ambiente y del espacio natural. Para paliar esta situación la Comunidad Europea a través del Consejo de Europa ha elaborado una serie de normas que rigen la actual política agraria comunitaria (PAC). Aquí se estudia un método de producción que creemos que se aproxima bastante a dicha normativa comunitaria, cuya finalidad es salvaguardar el medio ambiente y restablecer el equilibrio ecológico en las zonas afectadas. Este método denominado no laboreo con cobertera vegetal consiste en la realización de suelos en la zona que corresponde a la proyección de la copa del olivo con aplicación anual de herbicida, y en el resto del terreno se dejan crecer las malas hierbas y su desarrollo es controlado al ser desbrozadas periódicamente. Hasta el momento este método es ventajoso para la economía del agricultor y para el medio natural en el que se inscribe, ya que por un lado se reducen los costes de recolección, maquinaria, abonado, etc. y por otro lado el sistema no perjudica al medio ya que frena el proceso erosivo, aumenta la infiltración del suelo, reduce la escorrentía, no se destruye la estructura edáfica, etc

Improving long line stability by integrating renewables using static synchronous generators

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Synchronous power controller merits for dynamic stability improvement in long line by renewables

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Impact properties and water uptake behavior of old newspaper recycled fibers-reinforced polypropylene composites

Natural fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites can be an alternative to mineral fiber-based composites, especially when economic and environment concerns are included under the material selection criteria. In recent years, the literature has shown how lignocellulosic fiber-reinforced composites can be used for a variety of applications. Nonetheless, the impact strength and the water uptake behavior of such materials have been seen as drawbacks. In this work, the impact strength and the water uptake of composites made of polypropylene reinforced with fibers from recycled newspaper have been researched. The results show how the impact strength decreases with the percentage of reinforcement in a similar manner to that of glass fiber-reinforced polypropylene composites as a result of adding a fragile phase to the material. It was found that the water uptake increased with the increasing percentages of lignocellulosic fibers due to the hydrophilic nature of such reinforcements. The diffusion behavior was found to be Fickian. A maleic anhydride was added as a coupling agent in order to increase the strength of the interface between the matrix and the reinforcements. It was found that the presence of such a coupling agent increased the impact strength of the composites and decreased the water uptake. Impact strengths of 21.3 kJ/m3 were obtained for a coupled composite with 30 wt % reinforcement contents, which is a value higher than that obtained for glass fiber-based materials. The obtained composites reinforced with recycled fibers showed competitive impact strength and water uptake behaviors in comparison with materials reinforced with raw lignocellulosic fibers. The article increases the knowledge on newspaper fiber-reinforced polyolefin composite properties, showing the competitiveness of waste-based materialsPostprint (published version

Topography of the interfacial shear strength and the mean intrinsic tensile strength of hemp fibers as a reinforcement of polypropylene

The strength of the interphase between the reinforcements and the matrix has a major role in the mechanical properties of natural ¿ber reinforced polyole¿n composites. The creation of strong interphases is hindered by the hydrophobic and hydrophilic natures of the matrix and the reinforcements, respectively. Adding coupling agents has been a common strategy to solve this problem. Nonetheless, a correct dosage of such coupling agents is important to, on the one hand guarantee strong interphases and high tensile strengths, and on the other hand ensure a full exploitation of the strengthening capabilities of the reinforcements. The paper proposes using topographic pro¿le techniques to represent the e¿ect of reinforcement and coupling agent contents of the strength of the interphase and the exploitation of the reinforcements. This representation allowed identifying the areas that are more or less sensitive to coupling agent content. The research also helped by ¿nding that an excess of coupling agent had less impact than a lack of this componentPostprint (published version