Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Public Policy Approach To Life After Service For U.S. Military Veterans: Mental Health, Homelessness, And Reintegration, Eric D. Button

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation, through a public policy lens, examines life after U.S. military service as it relates to reintegration, the ability of state-level veteran-specific mental health programs to address veterans’ mental health challenges, and states’ ability to address veteran homelessness. First, I use 2019 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance Survey data, along with various measures of state-level characteristics, to examine the influence of relevant state-level policies on veterans’ mental health outcomes. Based on multi-level modeling results, findings suggest that the presence of at least one state-level veteran specific mental health program may be a mitigating …

The Effects Of Federal Funding Reductions On Emergency Shelters In Urban U.S. Sanctuary Cities., Venice Hylton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractWhen the U.S. federal government reduces funding to urban sanctuary cities because of those cities’ refusal to cooperate with federal law enforcement agents this affects the services offered by the municipalities to their residents. The purpose of this study was to provide a better understanding of the effects that withdrawal of federal funds from urban sanctuary cities have on people experiencing homelessness. The social exchange theory provided the theoretical foundation for the study, which featured a qualitative exploratory case study design and involved interviews with four shelter administrators in three mid-Atlantic states. The participants described (a) the effects of reduced …

Housing Choice Vouchers: Moving To Work Program In California, Benjamin Tran

Master's Projects

This research project examined whether the US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD’s) Moving To Work (MTW) program enabled California’s public housing authorities to provide more efficient service, while meeting MTW program goals, from 2015 to 2020.

Collaborative Competition In Homeless Services: Three Essays On Federal-Local Partnerships, Andrew Alfred Sullivan

Theses and Dissertations--Public Policy and Administration

The United States’ federal government funds homeless services provided at the local level through the McKinney-Vento Act, encouraging collaboration among providers. This dissertation studies three aspects of homelessness: merging of local planning bodies, identification of homeless students, and the relationship between experiencing homelessness in high school and long-term educational outcomes.

The first chapter studies the effect of merging Continuums of Care (CoCs), local planning bodies for homeless services. While merging brings organizations into the same network and could make use of economies of scale, it brings service provision to a less-local level, taking away responsiveness to the community and inter-jurisdictional …

Program Evaluation: Assessing A Housing First Initiative, Caitlin Pennicooke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Housing First is a nationally recognized approach to solving homelessness, but literature does not account for the unique characteristics of geographic locations that are isolated and have high cost of living. This study examined one such city and benchmarked it against another. To protect the identities of these cities, the alias Island City (IC) for the city under examination and Sun City for the benchmark. This research explored IC’s Housing First program related to mitigating homelessness. The purpose of this study was to benchmark IC’s Housing First program against Sun City’s program using the context, input, process, and product (CIPP) …

An Exploration Of Successful Housing Outcomes After Homelessness: An Experience Captured Through The Lens Of U.S. Veterans, Janice Filer

Theses and Dissertations

Homelessness is experienced by veterans at a higher percentage than nonveterans. Veterans represent eight percent of the homeless population (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2019). Also, the mortality rate of younger homeless veterans is higher than non-homeless veterans (Schinka et al., 2018). Veterans experience the lack of affordable housing, the lack of affordable health care, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse, and a lack of family or social support (National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, 2018). The purpose of this qualitative research study was to interview prior homeless veterans from Gulf War Era I (1990 - 2001) and/or Gulf …

Diminishing And Preventing Homelessness: A Managerial Audit Of Santa Clara County Nonprofit Organizations Addressing Homelessness, Sergio J. Gonzalez

Master's Projects

While the problem of homelessness intensifies in the United States, the search for solutions becomes increasingly crucial. As the number of homeless people in Santa Clara County, California continues to surge, various sections of government and nonprofit organizations have intensified their search for ways to reduce the problem. There have been many proposed ideas for a solution, such as policy options and emergency measures to address local crises. For example, the city of San Jose, California, has opened a “bridged housing” community, allocating 80 tiny homes with beds, a desk, and air conditioning in two locations to serve as temporary …

Canadian Mayors Respond To Tent Cities: The Old Bums Rush Or A New Script For Homeless Populations?, Dani Coffey

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper seeks to examine how Canadian urban mayors respond, in the media, to homeless encampments in their communities. A qualitative content analysis of news articles involving tent cities and the current mayors of two Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) in British Columbia is completed. Social constructions of the homeless population will be considered through the coding of media “frames.” Through the integration of frames with the Narrative Policy Framework, the interplay between social constructions and housing policy solutions generated at the local level will be explored.

Creating Comprehensive Wrap-Around Services For The Homeless Community: Exploring Network Activity Among Shelters And Service Organizations Within The South-Side Of Chicago, Gloria West

Dissertations

We may not all agree that the homeless community is increasing and that their essential needs to survive such as food, healthcare and housing are quality of life rights for everyone. We must adopt the compassion of the medical industry and understand the importance of how community programs and services impact their survival. The sense of urgency to address the issues of homelessness does not appear to be moving as fast as other government agendas hindering families and individual’s ability to achieve self-sufficiency. It is expected that the priorities within this population are addressed immediately, it should be understood that …

Policy Diffusion Assistance In The Amelioration Of Homelessness On The Island Of O`Ahu, Hawai`I, Anita Tanner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The issue of homelessness is one that many cities and states in the United States have to contend with; however, the issue of homelessness on an island can be even more difficult to find viable solutions. The homeless problem on the island of O`ahu is one that affects not only residents but also tourists. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to reveal the perceptions of policy makers on the island of O`ahu, Hawai`i if diffusing public policy from Salt Lake City, Utah, would help ameliorate homelessness on the island. The theoretical framework was the diffusion theory and diffusions …

Late Adolescent Mothers' Homelessness And Pregnancy Experiences While Living In Transitional Housing, Beverly Vendryes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The numbers of homeless adolescent mothers have been increasing over the past decade. Previous studies have focused on homeless individuals, but no studies examined late adolescent mothers' homelessness and pregnancy experiences while living in transitional housing. Using a phenomenological methodology, this study explored the lived experiences of 7 adolescent mothers, 18 to 24 years old, who were homeless, pregnant, and living in transitional housing. The social construction of reality theory provided the framework and interpretive lens for this study. Social networking and snowball sampling were used for participant recruitment. Through in-depth interviews, data coding and analyses were conducted to identify …

Stakeholder Input To The Development Of The Santa Clara County Lgbtq-Focused Shelter: A Process And Policy Analysis, Anthony Montalvo

Master's Projects

Due to elevated homelessness and growing hate crimes, an LGBTQ-focused shelter was developed and implemented by Office of Supportive Housing (OSH), along with the OLGBTQ (Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer). The following research investigated whether the process to design the LGBTQ-focused shelter program in Santa Clara county took the necessary steps to ensure that the program represents the community it intends to serve. Using process evaluation to identify the problem and proposed solutions, and policy analysis to examine the alternative solutions, the research answered the question: Did the approved design of the LGBTQ-focused shelter represent the stakeholder planning …

Hud’S Transitional Housing Unit Program’S Role In The Santa Clara County Community Plan To End Homelessness, Emilie Thorburn-Quihuis

Master's Projects

Counties in California invest local, state, and federal funds to try to end homelessness. At present the homeless numbers in Santa Clara County are among the highest in the U.S. at 6,556, with 33% of those being chronically homeless. Using process evaluation to compare permanent housing and shelter demographics and recurrence rates, how is the federal Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Transitional Housing Units Program (THU) in Santa Clara County meeting the goals of the county’s Community Plan to End Homelessness 2015-2020 (2013)?

Enumeration Of The Homeless Population In Rural Communities, Barbara Hall

MPA Major Research Papers

Ontario Service Manager areas are now mandated by the province of Ontario to enumerate the homeless population under their jurisdiction. The rural homeless have unique characteristics that must be incorporated into the enumeration methodology. Case study analysis suggests that period prevalence and registry week methods are better suited to rural areas than a point-in-time count.

Ending Transitional Homelessness In San Jose, California: A Process Evaluation Of The City Of San Jose’S Plan To Convert A Hotel/Motel Into A Single Room Occupancy Living Unit For The Transitionally Homeless, Alyssa Garcia

Master's Projects

The City of San Jose has been working on the Hotel/Motel Supportive Housing Program and Underutilized City-Owned Property project since 2012. The City acquired the Plaza Hotel in downtown San Jose from the Successor Agency to the Redevelopment Authority and leased the property to Abode. Abode converted the rooms into SRO units for the transitionally homeless and occupancy is expected in July of 2017. The program is estimated to operate for five years before it is torn down. The project is unique, as the city has never had a hotel/motel conversion program tailored towards transitionally homeless adults.

A process evaluation …

Housing First In Canada: A New Approach To Homelessness And Best Practices For Municipal Implementation, Shelly Steffler

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper assesses the Housing First approach to homelessness, which provides people living on the street with permanent homes before offering them optional support, as opposed to the traditional approach to housing, where people need to meet certain conditions, such as sobriety, before being assisted to obtain housing. It uses case studies from Medicine Hat, Alberta and Toronto to explore the implementation of Housing First in two Canadian cities. The paper concludes by providing best practices and offering cautions for municipalities considering this approach. The case studies indicate that data collection, stakeholder engagement, a systems approach, and support from all …

Friends In The Desert Foundation, Inc. Program Evaluation, Gina Brooksbank, Jessica Wilde, Holly Williams

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This report presents an evaluation of the Friends in the Desert, Foundation Incorporated (FID), a sit-down feeding program in downtown Henderson, Nevada. The evaluation identified both strengths of the program and opportunities for growth. Major components of this report are presented in the following order: scope of work, research design, findings, recommendations, conclusions and limitations. The report recommendations provide the agency’s members and principal stakeholder groups with proposals designed to improve the program’s financial position and long-term viability. These recommendations focus on opportunities for restructure, growth, and uninterrupted success.

FID is a sit-down feeding program located at St. Timothy’s Episcopal …

Homelessness In Winnipeg, Manitoba: An Analysis Of Local Government Inaction, Rhiannon Hayes

MPA Major Research Papers

This paper examines the topic of homelessness with a specific focus on Winnipeg, Manitoba to determine why it has remained inactive in addressing this social issue. It uses a qualitative approach in the form of interviews with different employees for the City of Winnipeg and members of non-governmental organizations to understand why the city has had such a limited response. This paper also compares Winnipeg to Edmonton, Alberta and Vancouver, British Columbia to analyze the experiences of other Canadian cities that are attempting to tackle homelessness. The findings reveal that Winnipeg does not actively address homelessness due to the failure …

Collaborative Success And Community Culture: Cross-Sectoral Partnerships Addressing Homelessness In Omaha And Portland, Patrick T. Mcnamara

Student Work

This dissertation explores the impact of community culture on the success of cross-sectoral collaboratives addressing homelessness in Omaha, Nebraska, and Portland, Oregon. A comparative case study approach is used to build theory about how the environment helps to make conditions conducive or challenging to collaboration between government, business and nonprofit organizations. The concept of community culture is operationalized by including three interrelated factors - social capital, community power, and political history - to assess the two cities. Omaha is a model of a private sector community culture, high in bonding social capital, where central control of decision making and elite …

Conditions And Issues Involving The Homeless In New York City, Louis A. Calogridis

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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