Exploring Client Perspectives on Resilience: Single Adults' Experience of Homelessness

Background and Purpose

People experiencing homelessness (PEH) are subject to being stigmatized as deserving of homelessness due to perceived negative traits such as a lack of effort or resilience. Despite single adults making up a larger proportion of the homeless population than families, there is a lack of literature exploring the resilience of single adults experiencing homelessness (Paat et al., 2019). However, resilience is a key trait that can aid in recovery from the negative health and mental health impacts of traumatic stress often experienced by PEH. Given the challenging life events that PEH encounter, PEH have many opportunities to engage in resilience practices to cope and survive. This qualitative study explored resiliency skills and traits in single adults experiencing homelessness and sought to strengthen social impact through bottom-up collaboration that centers the client’s experience. Understanding resilience in this population is needed to combat the stigma of homelessness and equip staff in bolstering resilience in PEH.

Methods

This qualitative, phenomenological study recruited and interviewed 10 residents from three Southern California interim housing sites using semi-structured in person interviews. Six participants identified as female and four identified as male. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed. Data was analyzed using thematic analysis according to Braun and Clarke (2006). The study was approved by the university institutional review board.

Results

Six themes were identified: positive thinking that creates a sense of meaning, faith as a source of strength, innate strength that naturally comes from within, engaging coping mechanisms that increase resilience, developing or avoiding self-awareness through time spent alone, and seeking understanding from staff and others. Participants utilized their resilience skills, such as coping mechanisms or optimism, in order to develop a deep sense of meaning even in the face of extreme challenges. Participants also had significant suggestions for their support staff that could be useful in addressing stigma and building resilience. For instance, participants observed that staff could improve their approach to be more collaborative by seeking feedback from participants and engaging with a sense of shared humanity.

Conclusions and Implications

Stigma can cause the strengths and skills of PEH to be overlooked or undervalued. Yet, this study suggests that single adults experiencing homelessness have both shared and unique perspectives on resilience as compared to families experiencing homelessness and the general population. Recognizing resilience increases dignity, supports trauma recovery, and can increase mutual collaboration between service providers and recipients.