Housing Center Thesis

STIGMA CENTERING AROUND THE HOMELESS The homeless have always been a group of people that are often misunderstood and branded. It is easy for many people to assume that all homeless people are either drug addicts or lived a life full of crime, which landed them where they are today. However, that may not always be the case. Society has for many years neglected our homeless problem but more specifically they have ignored the younger people that are struggling everyday while living on the streets. How did these young teens end up in such a devastating situation and just what are they doing to try and live a meaningful life despite their circumstances. Using the theoretical notion of narrative engagement we will gain an in depth understanding

Narrative inquiry attempts to understand life and is interpreted by the participant’s own words. Instead, of focusing on statistics and demographics the researchers main objective was to understand how these youth gave meaning to the meaning of homelessness and how they define themselves. The research was conducted in a transitional youth housing center and a youth drop in center. The researcher began his researcher by volunteering at both locations. Before approaching potential subjects, he simply observed them and attempted to establish familiarity with them. After a couple of weeks the interviewer was able to gather a group of teens and gave them a consent form to sign. Participants included 11 youth between the ages of 19 and 23 who identified themselves as homeless. In this study the interviewers position as a volunteer and employee at the center gave power over participants access to services and helped influence the relationship between the interviewer and interviewee. However, their role did not include enforcing rules and all information that was disclosed during interviews were kept

The narrative approach used in this research was key in that it provides an analytical approach to the voice of those who aren’t ever heard. Each participant described a life full of struggle, loss and economic injustices. Whether it was due to abuse, poverty or instability these stories reveal a part of life that many people don’t take the time to think about when seeing these youth living in the streets. In spite of their limitation the data revealed throughout this study shows how these homeless youth are still able to make light of their situations. Using their experiences and knowledge of self worth they are able to stay positive and strive for a better