Browsing by Subject "homelessness"
Item Affordable Housing in Indiana (2022): Policy considerations and recommendations(Center for Research on Inclusion and Social Policy, 2022-12-12) Bow, Brendan; Mullin, Hannah; Rapolu, Sreemayi Reddy; Eckert, MarissaThe Indiana General Assembly passed House Bill 1306 in 2022. When it was signed into law in March 2022, Indiana Public Law 99 established a task force to review housing related issues and housing shortages in Indiana. This task force must issue a report to the general assembly and governor no later than November 1, 2022. In August 2022, researchers from the Center for Research on Inclusion and Social Policy produced a policy brief containing recommendations for local and state officials to address homelessness, much of which concerned housing issues in Indianapolis. This brief expands on the previous report by examining housing availability and affordability in Indiana, while also comparing Indiana to four other similar states. Using this information, the research team provides policy suggestions to address housing shortages in Indiana.Item Do the Homeless Count?(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2013-04-05) Littlepage, LauraEach year since 2007, the Indiana University Policy Public Institute (PPI) has worked with the Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention (CHIP) to conduct the Point-in-Time Homeless Count in Marion County. This presentation will present results from the 2012 count conducted and considerations for policymakers. It will also have an interactive component to challenge stereotypes of homelessness.Item The Efficacy and Feasibility of Occupational Therapy Programming Focused on Health and Wellness within a Homeless Shelter(2021-04) Munson, Victoria; Wasmuth, Sally; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Hoffman, LisaHomelessness is a serious problem and can have many negative effects, including poor health (Hodge et al., 2017). Homelessness is closely tied to occupational deprivation and occupational injustice (Cunningham & Slade, 2019). The purpose of this doctoral capstone project was to address the occupational needs of individuals experiencing homelessness. By working with the Wheeler Mission Center for Women and Children, this project aimed to decrease occupational deprivation and increase overall wellness through the implementation of occupation-based programming. Occupation-based programing was introduced over the course of 14 weeks, in combination with ongoing program evaluation. Success of the program was evaluated in a number of different ways, including distributing pre- and post-program surveys, evaluating results from the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure and by receiving verbal feedback from staff members. Participants were recruited from the Foundations of Wellness program at the Wheeler Mission and included individuals with a wide range of health concerns. Results indicated that participants had statistically significant increases in satisfaction with programming following the implementation of occupation-based programming, as well as significant increases in self-perceived occupational performance and satisfaction. These results can be used to advocate for the role of occupational therapists within homeless shelters, as they can increase occupational engagement and participant satisfaction. Additional research is needed to further define the role of occupational therapists within homeless shelters and to further investigate the impact occupational therapists can have on homeless populations.Item Fostering Awareness of the Community by Engaging Students (FACES)(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2014-04-11) Robison, Lisa; Stegink, Jason; Buente, Bryce; Ying-Hsuan, Sherri; Church, AbbyFostering Awareness of the Community by Engaging Students (FACES) is a program created by students and faculty of the IU School of Medicine and Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health at IUPUI to provide medical and public health students structured volunteer opportunities to engage with adults experiencing homelessness, allowing for an increased understanding of vulnerable populations and community exposure. Despite poor health outcomes and a need for primary healthcare services, adults experiencing homelessness often do not seek or receive the medical care they need1, 2. In response to this issue, FACES seeks to provide safe group settings (art, educational, and focus groups), in which students can discuss barriers to quality healthcare and public health services with a small group of homeless individuals and better recognize methods to improve service delivery. Through the support of the IUPUI solution center, data has been collected to inform the development of FACES and to promote program sustainability. An evaluation of the student volunteer training module was performed to assess the quality of information provided within the training. Two in-person pilot training sessions were conducted for this evaluation, using a mixed methods approach. Each pilot session consisted of a pre- and post-assessment of self-perceived knowledge to obtain quantitative data regarding the impact of the training on knowledge levels, as well as an information recall test to provide quantitative data on the ability of the participants to become engaged in the training. Qualitative data for the evaluation was collected through focus groups conducted at the completion of both training sessions. To further advise program development, FACES’s developers conducted focus groups with small groups of homeless individuals to collect input from the participating community and obtain qualitative data concerning the details of program organization, future topics of discussion, and willingness to participate.Item Fostering Public Service by Linking Benefits to Community, Campus, and Students: A Case Study(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2014-04-11) Littlepage, LauraExperiential education can take many forms and is now common throughout undergraduate and graduate curricula; in part, because of the presumed public benefits of connecting an educational curriculum to community problem solving (Kuh, 2008). Given the joint involvement of university and community institutions in experiential education and the diverse motivations for encouraging student community involvement, this academic practice can be viewed through three lenses: (1) for the student as a form of student learning, (2) for the campus as a public policy instrument to promote civic engagement, and (3) for the community as a service delivery tool for community organizations (Littlepage, Gazley, & Bennett, 2012). Most of the research about student service learning has focused on the first two aspects (Bailis & Ganger, 2006; Imperial, Perry, & Katula, 2007; Jones, 2003). This poster will examine all three sides of the relationship through the lens of a service learning class called Do the Homeless Count. Since 2007, the Indiana University Public Policy Institute, part of the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, has partnered with the Coalition on Homeless Intervention and Prevention (CHIP) to conduct the point-in-time count of the homeless population (referred to hereinafter as “the count”) in Indianapolis, Indiana. The length and nature of this relationship has fostered benefits for the community through providing trend data and analysis to policymakers, raising awareness of the issue of homelessness and homeless serving agencies among the students, and providing volunteers for agencies.Item Housing Preferences and Choices Among Adults with Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders: A Qualitative Study(2010-08) Tsai, Jack; Bond, Gary R.; Salyers, Michelle P.; Godfrey, Jenna L.; Davis, Kristin E.Housing is a crucial issue for adults with severe mental illness and co-occurring substance use disorders, as this population is particularly susceptible to housing instability and homelessness. We interviewed 40 adults with dual disorders, living in either supervised or independent housing arrangements, to examine housing preferences, decision making processes surrounding housing choices, and perceived barriers to housing. We found that many clients indicated their housing preferences had changed over time, and some clients related housing preferences to recovery. Although the majority of clients preferred independent housing, many also described benefits of supervised housing. Clients' current living situations appeared to be driven primarily by treatment provider recommendations and availability of housing. Common barriers to obtaining desired housing were lack of income and information. These findings have implications for supported housing models and approaches to providing housing for clients.Item The Meaning of Recovery from Co-Occurring Disorder: Views from Consumers and Staff Members Living and Working in Housing First Programming(Springer, 2015-03) Watson, Dennis P.; Rollins, Angela L.; Department of Health Policy and Management, Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public HealthThe current study seeks to understand the concept of recovery from the perspectives of consumers and staff living and working in a supportive housing model designed to serve those with co-occurring disorder. Interview and focus group data were collected from consumers and staff from four housing programs. Data analyzed using an approach that combined case study and grounded theory methodologies demonstrate that: consumers’ and staff members’ views of recovery were highly compatible and resistant to abstinence-based definitions of recovery; recovery is personal; stability is a foundation for recovery; recovery is a process; and the recovery process is not linear. These themes are more consistent with mental health-focused conceptions of recovery than those traditionally used within the substance abuse field, and they help demonstrate how recovery can be influenced by the organization of services in which consumers are embedded.Item Social Network Decay as Potential Recovery from Homelessness: A Mixed Methods Study in Housing First Programming(MDPI, 2017-09) Golembiewski, Elizabeth; Watson, Dennis P.; Robison, Lisa; Coberg, John W.; Social and Behavioral Sciences, School of Public HealthThe positive relationship between social support and mental health has been well documented, but individuals experiencing chronic homelessness face serious disruptions to their social networks. Housing First (HF) programming has been shown to improve health and stability of formerly chronically homeless individuals. However, researchers are only just starting to understand the impact HF has on residents’ individual social integration. The purpose of the current study was to describe and understand changes in social networks of residents living in a HF program. Researchers employed a longitudinal, convergent parallel mixed method design, collecting quantitative social network data through structured interviews (n = 13) and qualitative data through semi-structured interviews (n = 20). Quantitative results demonstrated a reduction in network size over the course of one year. However, increases in both network density and frequency of contact with network members increased. Qualitative interviews demonstrated a strengthening in the quality of relationships with family and housing providers and a shedding of burdensome and abusive relationships. These results suggest network decay is a possible indicator of participants’ recovery process as they discontinued negative relationships and strengthened positive ones.Item Understanding the Critical Ingredients for Facilitating Consumer Change in Housing First Programming: A Case Study Approach(2013-04) Watson, Dennis P.; Wagner, Dana E.; Rivers, MichaelHousing First is a form of permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless consumers with mental health and substance abuse issues. In light of the model’s growing popularity and wide diffusion, researchers and policy makers have identified a need to better understand its critical ingredients and the processes through which they affect consumer outcomes. Researchers used a bottom-up approach to understand the critical ingredients of Housing First within community-based programs. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with 60 informants (staff and consumers) across 4 “successful” Housing First programs. Qualitative analysis demonstrated six program ingredients to be essential: (1) a low-threshold admissions policy, (2) harm reduction, (3) eviction prevention, (4) reduced service requirements, (5) separation of housing and services, and (6) consumer education.