Psychology Commons^™

A Qualitative Study Of Lifetime Residential Transitions And Housing Preferences Among Individuals With Extensive Shelter Utilization Histories, Mackenzie Hudson

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

There is a growing interest in identifying policies which support a transition to permanent housing for individuals with long stays in emergency homeless shelters. The present study explored trajectories into long-term homeless shelter utilization and the relationship between housing history and housing preferences. Participants were 11 individuals identified by staff at two homeless shelters in a large Midwestern city as being long-term shelter-stayers, defined as staying in shelter a majority of days over a minimum of three years. Using narrative analysis, the present study examined specific portions of text drawn from semi-structured interviews with people who are long-term shelter-stayers; these …