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Sheltered Cohort: A Restorative Approach To Relational Conflict And Disempowering Policies At A Men’S Homeless Shelter, Shaun A. Sletten

MSU Graduate Theses

Although homeless shelters provide refuge, they also present several challenges that can negatively affect an individual's sense of internal and external control. A mix-method design was used to explore and address these challenges. Participants (N = 12) were recruited from a men’s homeless shelter via the snowball method. To identify the challenges, in-person, semistructured interviews were conducted. Participants discussed barriers that included being around others who displayed abnormal and deviant behavior, and disparaging policies that censored and restricted basic decision-making processes. Once the challenges were identified, a restorative technique called circles was utilized to increase participants' self-efficacy and satisfaction …