Some reflections on the research interviews
December 23, 2010 at 1:07 pm salfordgareth 15 comments
This is my ‘post-it note’ blog post on some of the things I have learned about homelessness this year. I have interviewed 104 people in the last seven months and we have yet to begin analysing the majority of the transcripts at this time. I guess this is indicative of the research process. We collect data and then work out a way to start to make sense of it all; we aim to report findings without losing accuracy and meaning, and without over-simplifying the complexities of individuals’ experiences. But here are some of the things which spring immediately to mind from what interviewees have told me:
- There is an enormous range of homelessness circumstances, the events which have preceded it, the ways in which it is experienced and perceived – the unique, individual, and complex experience of homelessness and exclusion is stressed across the interviews
- The high prevalence of parental divorce in the lives of young people preceding homelessness and reports of unsettled family life
- The widespread (and undetected by the authorities) instances of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse in childhood including rape of both boys and girls by close family members, neglect, home imprisonment, exploitation by adults for financial purposes
- The lack of judicial involvement and any other professional input in addressing the consequences of the above abuses
- The apparent lack of positive role models in childhood, both authority figures and in the family
- The identification of self as the ‘black sheep’ of the family, feelings of being treated less favourably than siblings
- Victimisation and bullying in school, most often described as the victim, but sometimes as the perpetrator
- Identifying the ‘wrong crowd’ as leading one astray, whilst also fulfilling a deeper need for group belonging and feelings of being wanted and popular
- The apparent ease of which schooling can be discontinued by the age of around 14
- A willingness to experiment with hard drugs in childhood, ignorant of what is actually being taken
- The identification of predatory ‘friends’ and acquaintances who lead the individual into hard drug use and who are fully aware of the consequences they are leading them towards, for example, a life of crime, prostitution, gang membership
- The apparent failure in the short-term of the criminal justice system to deter to offending behaviour, perhaps instead to even encourage or reward it
- A lack of aspiration, and awareness, of the opportunities that can be afforded in adult life
- An apparent lack of self-confidence and poor estimations of self-worth, feelings of resignation and powerlessness
- In some instances, the resilience, industry, and self-discipline that can be drawn upon in spite of the exclusionary nature of homelessness and its associated problems
- In some instances, the desires to have children and ‘right the wrongs’ from one’s own parenting
- In some instances, the desires for future careers in the homelessness sector and wanting to help others
Entry filed under: Findings, Homeless people, Project update, Research, Young people. Tags: belonging, black sheep, drug dealing, exclusion, family, gang membership, homelessness, imprisonment, neglect, parenting, physical abuse, prostitution, rape, Research, school, Sexual abuse, substance misuse, Victimisation, wrong crowd.
salfordgareth
lisascullion
1.
john bloggs | December 25, 2010 at 3:21 pm
hi gareth..and one may suspect,many overlaps within the structures above..and where the seeds of exclusion can begin in not fitting a specfic critera on single issues…
regards Team Homeless UK
2.
john bloggs | December 28, 2010 at 11:20 pm
hi gareth..peters dywers take on “peer research” as you illustrated very well, is “peer interviewing” as we knew from onset,but glad that you confirmed our thoughts on this..Taking this into accountant,for future reference,would you not agree,to empower means to let go,and fully involve in this case “homeless people” in the whole peer research process..How..by all stakeholders coming together and agreeing a National Framework,on how to conduct this. until this has been resolved,,how can it be a solid evidence base?
regards team homeless uk
3.
john bloggs | December 29, 2010 at 10:46 pm
Hi gareth..after checking with team, methodology in slides shown by Pro Peter Dywer, we have come to the conclusion better term would be “Service User Research” not Peer Research..plenty of evidence online to check this….l
regards team homeless uk
4.
john bloggs | December 30, 2010 at 11:14 pm
Update of interest…Dr Hugh Mclaughlin at Salford Universty has written about “Keeping service user involvement in research honest”..and published on Oxford press…his e-mail is h.mclaughlin@salford.ac.uk……..can be found at Allerton building,Fredrick Road,Salford Univ….
regards Team Homeless UK
5.
john bloggs | January 1, 2011 at 1:59 am
Reflections…causes of Homelessness can be Multiple,time frames reflect the form,and content of self..Peoples idenities can be affected both personally,and socially by their experiances,but can form strong opinions about policys,and or services…and by nature can be “experts by experiance”….
regards team homeless uk
6.
john bloggs | January 2, 2011 at 9:16 pm
More reflections…Active relationship,between excluders and the excluded..Excluders are agents,who use specfic mechanisims to push out others,and deny resourses and relations,exclusion can be multidimensional,and how they are related by time and space.. example..vol researchers already sector volunteers,who interview for research purposes participants recruited from or recently homeless users,of day centres or accomodation centres..
Inclusion but on whos terms?
regards team homeless uk
7.
john bloggs | February 12, 2011 at 11:08 pm
hi gareth..interesting to note,that, Nottingham MEHomeless respondants of which 100 were interviewed,interviews were conducted in either “Southwark,Lambeth,or Lewisham” are all south of the river thames,so NO Multiple Exclusion Homeless in North London…..
regards team homeless uk
8.
salfordgareth | February 15, 2011 at 3:37 pm
Was there an explanation of why they chose those areas?
9.
Gary Thomas | February 18, 2011 at 5:56 pm
Gareth
On your ‘Homeless Services’ link you have the details of Lovatt Court and not Vale Street
10.
salfordgareth | February 18, 2011 at 6:32 pm
Hi Gary, nice to see you on the blog! So when are you opening your Twitter account?!
Do you have a webpage for Vale Street that I can link to?
11.
john bloggs | February 20, 2011 at 1:02 pm
hi gareth,no explanation as to why these areas chosen,other than link made to service provider “thamesreach” in london,or as we suspect poorly designed research at onset,but have no doubt if question was to be asked to research team “why” exclude north london,a answer would be given try e-mail graham.bowpitt@ntu.ac,uk
regards team homeless uk
12.
john bloggs | February 20, 2011 at 1:06 pm
Further to our answer No 6…its called “cherrypicking”
team homeless uk
13.
john bloggs | February 20, 2011 at 11:13 pm
Evictions and Abandoments…this taken from a article published in Inside Housing 16th feb 2011..Homeless Link is running a project called evictions and abandoments,which has been looking at vistor polices “The charity suggested systems with visiting times,made Hostels reminiscent of places such as prisions,and hospitals which is not the mindset that encourages independance” article also says that homeless couples on the the increase,but spaces for homeless couples in hostels on the decrease,this from there latest SNAP review..
“Single homeless people,and couples without dependent children”,,Homeless Link are the umbrella organisation of approx 480 projects in the UK…..
regards Team Homeless UK
Ps…single this week,next week?
14.
counselling in salford | September 5, 2011 at 12:47 pm
Well written write-up. Glad I’m able to locate a site with some knowledge plus a great writing style. You keep publishing and i will continue to keep browsing.
15.
salfordgareth | September 5, 2011 at 12:58 pm
Hi CiS,
Thanks for your kind comment.
Gareth