“A Place to Rest” The Role of Transitional Housing in Ending Homelessness for Women: A Photovoice Project

“Housing First” has been widely promoted as the best practice for homeless populations. Many communities are currently shifting towards this method of service delivery in an effort to reduce the rapidly growing homeless population. Research supports that women, the fastest growing sub-population of the homeless, have unique needs in terms of shelter and services in transitioning from homelessness to home. Yet little research has been conducted to determine the effectiveness or impact of the Housing First model on women. The purpose of this project was to determine the role, if any, transitional housing has in ending homelessness for women. It also sought to explore whether there is something unique about women‟s experiences of homelessness and pathways into homelessness that can inform how the Housing First model is translated into practice. This project offered the unique opportunity not only to evaluate women‟s experiences in transitional housing, but also to examine their experiences once they had been permanently housed. Using a participatory research methodology called photovoice, women with lived experience of homelessness were engaged in a process of reflection, discovery, empowerment and critical dialogue as a means of expressing their experiences with homelessness and homeless services. The participants were nine women between the ages of 27 and 66 who had previously been housed in the YWCA of Calgary‟s transitional housing program YWCA Mary Dover House and were permanently housed in the community prior to the project start date. The women had diverse pathways into homelessness and were of diverse origins. From the thematic analysis of the transcriptions and photovoice images, six major themes were identified: transitional housing, permanent housing, stereotypes of homelessness, pathways into homelessness, journey from homelessness to housing and the healing journey. Through further analysis, 20 sub-themes and 15 categories were produced. The women described the key aspects of transitional housing as 1) Support: the counsellors and the 24 hour services they provided; 2) Community of Women: being surrounded and supported by other like-women; and 3) Time: a period to recover emotionally from various traumas, to find appropriate resources, and to find appropriate housing. It is through the interplay of these components that the role of transitional housing in ending homelessness for women is revealed. Our research confirms that these elements must be offered in concert in order to make a significant difference in the lives of homeless women. Although moving directly from homelessness to permanent housing (as under the Housing First model) may be effective for some homeless women, findings from this study demonstrate that this may not be the case for all. Our results suggest that once permanently housed the women, especially those with histories of trauma, struggle with the trade-off between the rules that kept them safe in transitional housing and living as independent, autonomous adults in the community. In closing, the greatest challenge lies in determining how to preserve and facilitate the elements of support, time, safety and community of women in the Housing First context. Transitional and supportive housing clearly have an important role to play in ending homelessness for some women. These types of programs are critical and need to be maintained at some level. Regardless however, until more affordable, appropriate and safe housing stock is available in Calgary, all sources of housing including emergency and transitional shelters are required and due to the enormity of homelessness, will constantly be at capacity.

Publication Date: 
2011