Coping with homelessness: an expectant mother's homeless pathway

Abstract

Access to this document was granted through an Emerald subscription provided by emerald-srm:368933 [] For AuthorsIf you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The purpose of this paper is to add to the understanding of homelessness by exploring and analysing the homeless pathway of a young expectant mother as she negotiates her way through temporary accommodation and comes to terms with her circumstances and new identity as a person without a home. Design/methodology/approach -A phenomenological interviewing approach was used in order to gain insights into the subject's lived daily world from her perspective. Themes were then identified that encapsulated the essential qualities of the interview. Findings -The stress and negative emotions of being homeless appear to be accentuated significantly due to pregnancy, taking the potential for the positive feelings associated with pregnancy away from the participant. Structural factors such as the homelessness legislation and affordable housing supply had a strong influence over her homeless pathway, resulting in feelings of a loss of control over her destiny and choices and subsequent feelings of low self-worth, which she had to try to come to terms with. However, the pregnancy was also used as a positive coping strategy, as was family support. Originality/value -Minimal research has been undertaken on the experiences of homeless women who are pregnant. The results point to the need to understand the deeply negative impacts that homelessness can have on individuals, particularly expectant mothers. The value of examining homelessness as a pathway is also shown.

The perceived impact of homelessness on health during pregnancy and the postpartum period: A qualitative study carried out in the metropolitan area of Nantes, France

“…Different forms of help, such as help during daily activities and tasks, moral support, accompaniment to medical and administrative appointments, and housing were related to social support during interviews. Being supported by family members, friends, and other people experiencing homelessness has been recognized as having a positive influence in accessing the healthcare system and in reducing stress levels, depressive symptoms, and feelings of isolation and marginalization in homeless mothers [14,[22][23][24]. The quality of professional support was related to the "welcomeness" and the availability of health professionals during pregnancy follow-ups, as well as the opportunity to interact with other mothers facing the same situation and challenges.…”

Condominium development and gentrification in Bangkok, Thailand: a study of housing pathways

“…Drawing on previous research into housing pathways (Clapham, 2005;Ford, Rugg and Burrows, 2002;Hochstenbach and Boterman, 2015;Mackie, 2012;Moore, 2014;Netto, 2011;Skobba, 2016;Stillerman, 2017), this approach to the consumption of housing can be seen fundamentally as an epistemology, yet it also rests on a certain set of ontological assumptions. Firstly, in terms of the nature of reality, it seeks to suspend the debate over structure and agency.…”

“…In order to understand this more complex nature of housing trajectories, housing pathways researchers have tended to seek to understand the ways in which people relate to the places in which they live, and thus undertaken the collection of personal housing histories through qualitative approaches (see for example Ford, Rugg and Burrows, 2002;Mackie, 2012;Moore, 2014;Netto, 2011;Skobba, 2016). This was the method advocated by Clapham (2005, p. 240) in order to "understand the meaning of individuals and households and conspicuous aspects of behaviour".…”

“…Thus it is the household and the uncovering of their meanings and attitudes that is seen to generate knowledge and elucidate the ways in which a household's circumstances, needs and experiences may alter over time and space. Though the housing pathways approach stresses the variegated and unique nature of people's pathways, studies have tended to draw out ideal type pathways, using the findings in order to understand the prevalence of certain pathways (Ford, Rugg and Burrows, 2002), to inform housing policy (Mackie, 2012;Moore, 2014;Netto, 2011;Skobba, 2016), or to make comparisons with other countries (Stillerman, 2017).…”