Home as a Base for a Well-Lived Life: Comparing the Capabilities of Homeless Service Users in Housing First and the Staircase of Transition in Europe

Abstract

Nussbaum's Central Capabilities refer to the elements of a well-lived life, and many adults who experience homelessness are deprived of these capabilities. The study aim was to investigate whether service users experience different homeless services as affording or constraining capabilities. We conducted semi-structured interviews with homeless service users (n = 77) in Housing First (HF) and staircase services (SS) in eight European countries. We used thematic analysis to identify three themes: autonomy and dependency, the relational impact of living arrangements, and community interaction and stigma. While SS participants were able to address their bodily integrity and health, their higherorder capabilities were constrained by their homeless situations. HF participants described home as a base from which they could enact a wide range of capabilities indicative of a well-lived life. We conclude that housing-led service models with appropriate supports are key to affording service users' capabilities. Practical and policy implications are discussed.

Autonomy and authority: Homeless service users' empowering experiences in housing first and staircase services

“…Having a home allowed HF service users to gain independence, to orientate themselves towards the community, and towards their own personal development and self‐expression. Our findings build on existing evidence (Nicholls, 2010; O'Shaughnessy et al, 2020; Padgett, 2007) and suggest that home creates empowering experiences by promoting the development of service users' ontological security. Findings indicate that improvements can be made to existing housing allocation policy and practice through heightened regulation, and enforceable tenant's rights (e.g., in Scotland: Watts, 2013) so that vulnerable people are not stuck in homeless situations and discriminated against because of their illness or turbulent histories.…”

“…For homeless adults, their ability to realise their capabilities largely depends on the type, range, and quality of homeless services they can access. Indeed, the CA has value for understanding the challenges faced by the homeless population (Shinn, 2015), and researchers have successfully applied the CA to examine the experiences of adult homeless services users in HF and SS (Kerman & Sylvestre, 2020; Nicholls, 2010; O'Shaughnessy et al, 2020).…”

Factors Associated with Providers’ Work Engagement and Burnout in Homeless Services: A Cross‐national Study

“…In a capability‐fostering service, activities are aimed at restoring users’ capabilities by working on individual and contextual affordances, users are considered as resources and they are encouraged to participate in choices about their recovery (Greenwood et al, 2020a). Although this approach is gaining a critical role in guiding research and practice in the field of homelessness, few studies have empirically evaluated service efficacy by measuring users’ capabilities (Greenwood et al, 2020b; O’Shaughnessy et al, 2020). To our knowledge, no studies investigated the association between capability‐fostering services and providers’ work experience and well‐being.…”

The Meaning of Home in Male Migration: Listening to Men’s Experiences

“…Studies on homeless people highlighted how housing services are appropriate for increasing and supporting people's capacities. The home is the foundation for developing a well-lived life (O' Shaughnessy et al 2021). Home represents a significant setting for self-care and for care relationships among people living in or visiting the dwelling (Bowlby and Jupp.…”