The Efficacy and Feasibility of Occupational Therapy Programming Focused on Health and Wellness within a Homeless Shelter

Abstract

Homelessness 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.