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Qualitative
Homeless people preserved former identities, devalued current identities, and envisioned a non-homeless future

https://doi.org/10.1136/ebn.3.4.132

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    Boydell KM, Goering P, Morrell-Bellai TL.Narratives of identity: re-presentation of self in people who are homeless.Qual Health Res2000 Jan;10:26–38OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science

    QUESTION: What is the lived experience of homelessness?

    Design

    Qualitative study using an interactionist analysis of the human lived experience.

    Setting

    Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Participants

    29 single adults (age range 18–61 y, 70% men) who used homeless shelters. More than half (52%) had never been homeless before.

    Methods

    Semistructured, individual interviews of 45 minutes to 2.5 hours were held in hostels, coffee shops, or the researchers' offices. The interview guide was based on the findings from a focus group of 8 homeless people. Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Interviewer field notes were also transcribed. Analysis was based on a participatory team approach.

    Main findings

    Homelessness created identity problems for the participants, whereby positive former identities were preserved, current identity was devalued, and future identities were glimpsed.

    In terms of the past self, homelessness meant the loss of an established identity …

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    Footnotes

    • Source of funding: Donner Canadian Foundation.

    • For correspondence: Dr K M Boydell, Community Health Systems Resource Group, The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X8, Canada. Fax +1 416 813 6011.