3 research outputs found
Home as a base for a Well-Lived Life: Comparing the capabilities of homeless service users in housing first and the staircase of transition in Europe
Nussbaum’s Central Capabilities refer to the elements of a well-lived
life, and many adults who experience homelessness are deprived of
these capabilities. The study aim was to investigate whether service
users experience different homeless services as affording or constraining
capabilities. We conducted semi-structured interviews
with homeless service users (n = 77) in Housing First (HF) and
staircase services (SS) in eight European countries. We used thematic
analysis to identify three themes: autonomy and dependency,
the relational impact of living arrangements, and
community interaction and stigma. While SS participants were
able to address their bodily integrity and health, their higherorder
capabilities were constrained by their homeless situations.
HF participants described home as a base from which they could
enact a wide range of capabilities indicative of a well-lived life. We
conclude that housing-led service models with appropriate supports
are key to affording service users’ capabilities. Practical and
policy implications are discussed.Orizoninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Home as a Base for a Well-Lived Life: Comparing the Capabilities of Homeless Service Users in Housing First and the Staircase of Transition in Europe
Homeless adults’ recovery experiences in housing first and traditional services programs in seven european countries
Across Europe, as governments turn to housing-led strategies in attempts to reverse rising rates of homelessness, increasing numbers of Housing First (HF) programs are being implemented. As HF programs become more widespread, it is important to understand how service users experience them compared to the more prevalent traditional treatment-first approach to addressing long-term homelessness. Although there is a large body of research on service users' experiences of Housing First compared to treatment-first in North American contexts, comparatively less is known about how these two categories of homeless services are experienced in the European context. In a correlational and cross-sectional study, part of a larger examination of homelessness in Europe, participants (n = 520) engaged with either HF (n = 245) or traditional services (TS; n = 275) programs in seven countries completed measures of their experiences of services (consumer choice, housing quality, and service satisfaction) and recovery (time in independent housing, psychiatric symptoms, and community integration). Across the seven countries, participants engaged with HF programs reported experiencing more consumer choice, better perceived housing quality, and more satisfaction with services than participants engaged in TS programs. Participants in HF programs also reported a greater proportion of time in independent accommodation, fewer psychiatric symptoms, and more community integration. Varying patterns of association between experiences of services and recovery outcomes were observed. Findings indicate HF consistently predicts greater recovery than TS across diverse sociopolitical and economic contexts. Implications of findings for configurations of homeless services and homeless services policy are discussed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio