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Research In Action 2021

Photo Research in Action Danielle Groton, Ph.D.

Help Her Find a Way Home: Escaping Homelessness

Danielle Groton, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor,
College of Social Work and Criminal Justice

1. Thank you, Dr. Groton! Will you please share why you use the phrase “a person experiencing homelessness” instead of referring to them as “a homeless person” or “the homeless” and the importance of using destigmatizing terminology?   

This is an important question, thank you! Homelessness is highly stigmatized, and it is a common issue that folks who having housing see the “homeless” aspect of a person instead the 'human' aspect of the person. By using person-centered language, we can emphasize the humanity in our community members who are currently without housing. In my experience, folks who are experiencing homelessness also generally prefer not to be referred to as "the homeless," and so the type of phrasing honors their wishes, as well.

2. I know we are seeing data and research on the west coast on people living in vehicles as a distinct group of people without homes ... even in RVs, for example. Are there any local safe parking initiatives to address this growth here?   

Great question! Unfortunately, I am unaware of any local initiatives to promote safe parking, and so this could be an important gap for our community to consider.

3. Is there a specific website we can sign up to volunteer?    

Thank you so much for your interest in volunteering! The National Coalition for the Homeless is a great directory of places with volunteer opportunities, and you can filter by your location. Here is the website: https://nationalhomeless.org/taking-action/volunteer/.

4. Did any women report not sleeping at the shelters because they were afraid that people would steal their stuff? This was a problem at a lot of shelters I have been to.   

While most of the women I've spoken with were concerned about theft, they still would enter the shelter as they described concerns about losing property outside of the housing programs too. That said, two of the programs I conducted interviews at had (limited) lockers for women to utilize, so that may also have mitigated the theft concerns among the women I worked with.