1. education/skill development
Health care needs to be an integrated approach, a life change rather than treatment of the syptoms. Financial disparity is one of the critical reasons that homelessness is perpetuated
2. Personal heath and hygiene
Taken from Balancing Act: Clinical Practices That Respond to the Needs of Homeless Peopleby
Marsha McMurray-Avila, M.C.R.P.
Lillian Gelberg, M.D., M.S.P.H.
William R. Breakey, M.D.
"Physical and mental illnesses are implicated as both causes and consequences of homelessness for many individuals. While the shortage of safe, decent, and affordable housing is the most fundamental cause of homelessness, untreated physical and/or mental health problems create vulnerabilities that can lead to loss of income and home. At the same time, those who experience homelessness are subject to conditions that can result in deterioration of health or exacerbate existing chronic or acute illnesses, leading to rates of illness and injury from two to six times higher than for people who are housed (Wright, 1990). Homelessness also severely complicates the delivery of health services (Institute of Medicine, 1988). Without access to appropriate health care, acute and chronic health problems may go untreated, creating medical complications in multiple co-occurring conditions and ultimately impeding the individual’s ability to overcome homelessness. Failing to provide homeless people with health care of a standard that is available to other people, even when they need elaborate or expensive treatments, constitutes a form of discrimination that should be unacceptable in a democratic society (Bangsberg et al., 1997)."
3. fun/recreation
Recreation as Empowerment for Homeless People Living in Shelters
Maureen Harrington and Don Dawson * (http://adp.lin.ca/resource//html/Vol24/v24n1a4.htm)- basic premis resides in the normalisation and integration that recreation can provide for people. There is a development of peoples social interaction.
4. Access to help
There is a need to coordinate peoples needs with people who can help, in this situation there is a need for people to
"1. The importance of outreach to engage clients in treatment.
2. Respect for the individuality of each person.
3. Cultivation of trust and rapport between service provider and client.
4. Flexibility in service provision, including location and hours of service, as well as flexibility in treatment approaches.
5. The need to attend to the basic survival needs of homeless people and to recognize that until those needs are met, health care may not be an individual’s priority.
6. The importance of integrated service provision and case management to coordinate the needed services.
7. Clinical expertise to address complex clinical problems, including access to specialized care.
8. Need for a range of housing options, including programs combining housing with services.
9. A longitudinal perspective that ensures continuing care until the person’s life situation is stabilized."
Balancing Act: Clinical Practices That Respond to the Needs of Homeless People
by
Marsha McMurray-Avila, M.C.R.P.
Lillian Gelberg, M.D., M.S.P.H.
William R. Breakey, M.D. (http://aspe.hhs.gov/homeless/symposium/8-Clinical.htm)
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1 comment:
Whilst financial disparity plays a key role in homelessness, it is often the net result of other circumstances or events. Both mental and physical illness are prime examples, however family issues and even single events can cause a "normal" person's life to fall apart.
A few years ago in Brisbane, I sat next to a well dressed lady in her 60's at a bus stop, only to find out that she had been homeless for months. She had rented a house on her own, however following a home invasion she was too afraid to return home and her life rapidly fell to pieces. She lost her home, her job and her sense of security from one single event, and her difficulties spiralled out of control because she had no family or friends to support her. With no support network and no idea where else she could go for either job or housing assistance, she ended up on the streets.
Although this story sounds a little extreme, every fortnight in the Big Issue, the vendor profiles tell very similar stories. Very often, terrible events can knock someone off course before their financial difficulties begin.
This is where I think your concept of the hearth is an incredibly powerful one - the ability to form a support network is vastly underestimated, and can be valuable for people at any time in their difficult journeys.
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