‘We did more rough sleeping just to be together’ – Homeless drug users’ romantic relationships in hostel accommodation

Stevenson, Caral; Neale, Joanne

doi:10.3109/09687637.2011.644824

Cited by 20 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Research has also shown that drug use can hinder the formation of intimate relationships among homeless adults (Blais, Côté, Manseau, Martel, & Provencher, 2012). Nonetheless, having an intimate partner can have a beneficial effect on a homeless person's drug use, self-esteem, wellbeing and motivation to move away from a street-based lifestyle (Nyamathi, Wenzel, Keenan, Leake, & Gelberg, 1999;Stevenson & Neale, 2012). Additionally, positive and encouraging relationships with the staff of homeless hostels can improve social capital and overall wellbeing amongst homeless drug and alcohol users (Stevenson, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Social and recovery capital amongst homeless hostel residents who use drugs and alcohol

Neale

Stevenson

2015

International Journal of Drug Policy

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Homeless hostel residents who use drugs and alcohol have various opportunities for building social capital that can in turn foster recovery capital. Therapies that focus on promoting positive social networks amongst people experiencing addiction seem to offer a valuable way of working with homeless hostel residents who use drugs and alcohol. Gains are, however, likely to be maximised where hostel management and staff are supportive of, and actively engage with, therapy delivery.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Social and recovery capital amongst homeless hostel residents who use drugs and alcohol

Neale

Stevenson

2015

International Journal of Drug Policy

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“…In a study of 974 women who were homeless in Los Angeles County, one-third reported being kicked, bitten, hit with a fist or an object, choked, beaten, burned, or threatened or harmed with a gun in the past 12 months (Wenzel, Leake, & Gelberg, 2001). Women who are unhoused adopt a range of strategies to try to keep safe including riding public transportation overnight (Nichols & Cazares, 2011), isolating themselves from others, seeking male protectors or companions, wearing baggy clothes to downplay their bodies, and trying to appear tough (Huey & Berndt, 2008;Stevenson & Neale, 2012). Although the farm offered at least some protection to those who slept or stored their belongings nearby, great risk remained.…”

Section: Interpersonal Relationships and Supportmentioning

confidence: 97%

Combatting Social Exclusion: “Safe Space” and the Dynamics of Inclusion at a Homeless Farming Site

Bullock¹,

Truong²,

Chhun³

2016

Journal of Poverty

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“…As Rhodes and Cusick (2000) suggest, "efforts to protect intimacy and relationships from risk may be particularly important in lives perceived to be particularly insecure or continually under threat" (p.4). Among people who are socially excluded, including many who inject drugs, meaningful intimate relationships may provide one of the few forms of social capital available to them (Stevenson and Neale, 2012). We need to recognise then, that within such partnerships the negotiation of risk is as much an enactment of emotional intimacy as of reasoned action: that ensuring the ongoing maintenance of the relationship is itself a form of risk management (Rhodes and Quirk, 1998).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Don’t think I’m going to leave you over it”: Accounts of changing hepatitis C status among couples who inject drugs

Rance

Treloar

Fraser³

et al. 2017

Drug and Alcohol Dependence

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a b s t r a c tBackground: While the health-related benefits of intimate partnership are well documented, little attention has been paid to couples exposed to high levels of social stigma and exclusion. In this project we investigated an important site of stigma for partnerships by collecting accounts of changing hepatitis C (HCV) status ("sero-change") among couples that inject drugs. We explored what these accounts reveal about the meaning of HCV for these couples, and how this understanding contributes to our collective efforts at prevention and care. Methods: Drawing from a large dataset of qualitative interviews with couples, we focussed on those containing reports of sero-change. By adopting a methodology that positioned partnerships rather than individuals as the primary unit of analysis, we addressed the commonplace tendency to either overlook or discount as dysfunctional, the sexual relationships of people who inject drugs. Results: While some couples sought greater biomedical understanding as a means of coming to terms with sero-change, others drew on alternative logics or "rationalities" that sat firmly outside conventional biomedical discourse (privileging notions of kinship, for example). Regardless of which explanatory framework they drew on, participants ultimately prioritised the security of their relationship over the dangers of viral infection. Conclusions: Effectively engaging couples in HCV prevention and care requires acknowledging and working with the competing priorities and complex realities of such partnerships beyond simply the identification of viral risk. The "new era" of direct acting antiviral treatments will provide ongoing opportunities to learn to integrate biomedical information within more socially sophisticated, relationally aware approaches.

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‘We did more rough sleeping just to be together’ – Homeless drug users’ romantic relationships in hostel accommodation

Cited by 20 publications

References 25 publications

Social and recovery capital amongst homeless hostel residents who use drugs and alcohol

Social and recovery capital amongst homeless hostel residents who use drugs and alcohol

Combatting Social Exclusion: “Safe Space” and the Dynamics of Inclusion at a Homeless Farming Site

“Don’t think I’m going to leave you over it”: Accounts of changing hepatitis C status among couples who inject drugs

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