Faculty Practice at a Homeless Shelter for Women and Children

Abstract

Homelessness in America has significantly increased in recent years. Exact numbers of homeless persons in the United States are difficult to assess, though estimates of homeless persons range from 250,000 to 3 million. The homeless population has shifted to include women and children, including two parent families. Providing health care for the homeless is one of the most important and challenging health issues today. There are many barriers to providing adequate health care. The purpose of this article is to describe the complexity of the role and the experiences of a pediatric nurse practitioner at a clinic in a homeless shelter that houses approximately 30 women and children.

“Homelessness Is Not a Choice!” The Plight of Homeless Women With Preschool Children Living in Temporary Shelters

“…According to DiMarco (2000), the number of homeless families has significantly increased in recent years. She bases this conclusion on the volume of requests for emergency housing at a shelter in a Midwest city.…”

Perceptions of Individuals Who Are Homeless

“…Extensive research has been done with homeless populations (DiMarco, 2002;Folsom et al, 2005;Gerberich, 2000;Kemppainen et al, 2003;McAvoy, Driscoll, & Gramling, 2004;Smoyak, 2000;Steinhaus et al, 2004;Tsemberis, Gulcur, & Nakae, 2004). Extensive research has been done with homeless populations (DiMarco, 2002;Folsom et al, 2005;Gerberich, 2000;Kemppainen et al, 2003;McAvoy, Driscoll, & Gramling, 2004;Smoyak, 2000;Steinhaus et al, 2004;Tsemberis, Gulcur, & Nakae, 2004).…”

“…Within the literature reflecting various aspects of the homeless world (DiMarco, 2002;Folsom et al, 2005;Gerberich, 2000;Steinhaus et al, 2004), the homeless voice regarding their experience with healthcare had little attention. Information was acquired primarily from nurses and the medical staff.…”

“…Information was acquired primarily from nurses and the medical staff. Within these studies, four were quantitative studies (Folsom et al 2005;Kemppainen et al 2003;McAvoy et al 2004;Tsemberis et al, 2004) and four were qualitative (DiMarco, 2002;Gerberich, 2000;Smoyak, 2000;Steinhaus et al, 2004). None of these studies interviewed the homeless to explore their own individual perspective.…”

“…Two case-study approaches were done on medical professionals' work with homeless shelters (DiMarco, 2002;Gerberich, 2000). DiMarco focused on women and children while Gerberich focused on men.…”