Upload
others
View
1
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
The Intersection of
Transportation Disadvantage
with Economic and Social
Justice among Mothers
Experiencing Homelessness
Courtney Cronley,
PhD, MSSWThe University of Texas at
Arlington
TRCLC 3RD Summer Conference on Livable Communities
June 21-22, 2016 Kalamazoo, MI
Family Homelessness• Over 200,000 families were homeless on a single night in
the US in 2015
• The majority are headed by single mothers
• Commonly homeless due to domestic violence, poverty,
lack of access to affordable/quality housing
Challenges for Homeless
Families
• Fragmented access to and inconsistent
quality of services
• High rates of poverty
• Often experiencing unprocessed trauma
• Almost 1/2 of families served in transitional
settings fail to realize permanent housing
• Many single parents lose custody after
becoming homeless
Policy Environment
• Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to
Prevent and End Homelessness
– Executive initiative
– Housed within the Interagency Council on
Homelessness Executive initiative
– One of the four goals is to end homelessness
among families, youth, and children by 2020
– http://usich.gov/opening_doors/
Transportation…
For some, the Car becomes Home
For others, transportation is the
public transit system
• Lack of access to transportation frequently
cited as a barrier to accessing:
– Employment
– Health care
– Services for children
• Scarce studies exclusively focusing on
transportation experiences among the
homeless
Current Study
• Transportation emerged as a key component in an evaluation of services for women experiencing homelessness with their children in Dallas County, Texas
• Qualitative data related to transportation were analyzed to understand the impact of transportation disadvantage on social participation and identity
Setting:
Dallas County, Texas
City of Dallas
• Estimated 2015 population = 2,553,385
• Estimated housing units July 2015 =
985,403
• Median value of a home 2010-2014 =
$129,200 (nationally, $221,800 in 2010)
• Mean travel time to work 2010-2014 =
26.2 min (nationally, 25.1 min. in 2009)
Poverty and Homelessness in
Dallas• Nearly 20% of individuals living below the
poverty level, 2010-2014
• In 2016, 3,100 persons were counted as homeless on a single night
• Family homelessness increased 60% between 2010 and 2014
• In 2016, 1,777 families (households with an an adult and child) were counted as homeless on a single night
• Approximately 24 homeless service providers
The central service center
is roughly here
Wheel-and-Spoke System
Study Design / Procedures
• Concurrent mixed-methods
• Quantitative measures – demographics
and service utilization (among mothers)
• Qualitative methods – open-ended items
with probes
• Interviews conducted primarily in-person
and audio recorded
Sample
• Purposive / convenience sampling
• Mothers received a $20 gift card
• Total sample – 21 mothers; 13
stakeholders (service providers, elected
officials, philanthropists, etc.)
– 71% African American
– 19% White
– 10% Latino/a
MeasuresQuantitative Qualitative
Structured survey with
close and open-ended
questions
Semi-structured
interviews with probes
Demographic data
Standardized cost-
benefit questionnaire
about services used (not
reported here)
Data AnalysisQuantitative Qualitative
SPSS version 21 Atlas.ti used to code
transcripts using open and
axial techniques
Effect sizes
(Cohen’s d-index, ϕ)
A codebook was
developed initially
Small sample size
precluded extensive
statistical analysis
Themes consistent with
the codes derived from
the codebook
Rigor criteria included:
• Peer debriefing
• Audit trail
• Deviant case analysis
Characteristics of Mothers
TH
(n = 11)
PSH
(n = 10)
Cohen’s
D
M (SD)
Age 28.91 (5.50) 30.90 (9.06) .27
# children 3.09 (1.70) 2.30 (1.06) .56
Past-month
income
$715.27
(267.64)
$1,280.00
(1,082.05).72
Past 12-
month income
$901.56
($523.38)
$1,337.95
($1319.54).44
Note. TH = Living in transitional housing; PSH = living
in permanent supportive housing
Characteristics of Mothers
TH
(n = 11)
PSH
(n = 10)
% (#) φ
Married 36.4 (4) 10 (1) .31
Disability 27.3 (3) 0 (0) .39
Employed 9.72 (11.17) 9.05 (6.38) .36
Own car 9.1 (1) 80.0 (8) .72
Note. TH = Living in transitional housing; PSH = living
in permanent supportive housing
Qualitative Results
Broken Bridge
Missing opportunities
Wasting time
Parenting in public
Social
Exclusio
n
Transportation the Broken
BridgeI have sat in on a couple of case manager interviews with homeless individuals or families and one of the huge issues for people that are trying to get their benefits, you know, manage through a variety of systems, is transportation. So we give ’em bus passes. You know but then they’ve gotta go ride a bus here and ride a bus there and try to get to this office… they try to get over to that office. Transportation is a huge issue and I’m sure it is for families, you know, just complicating the factor is more people.
- Board Chair
Wasting Time
Oh yeah, because I can tell you that it’s
hard, especially when you’re on the bus line
to get around, because the buses
sometimes, say from here to downtown to
the daycare. It is going to take over an hour
or something to get there.
- Mother
Wasting Time
One way. Cause you have to hop so many.
And, depending on the time of the day, the
buses run every hour. You know what I
mean?
- Mother
Missing Opportunities
I mean to get somewhere on time and to even
like get places from back and forth, you know,
like appointments. You gotta be at an
appointment, and say you miss the bus by a
couple of seconds. You have to wait a whole
’nother hour. Or you get on a bus and it breaks
down or something happens you lose out on a
lot of different opportunities at different times.
- Mother
Missing Opportunities
Because, like, you know with food stamps…
that’s why if you stay in this area and don’t
have a car, you can’t get to the food stamp
office.
- Mother
Parenting in Public
[Transportation’s] not the best, especially with little kids. Like we had to get up like at 5:30 in the morning just to make the bus. And where we were staying wasn’t very far from here and it took us like an hour and a half. And then you’ve got little kids and mine have red curly hair and for some reason people want to touch ’em all the time, and it just creeps me out and it creeps my kids out.
- Mother
Parenting in Public
I have access to the bus. Sometimes it’s
hard to ride the bus with a sick kid or it being
cold and not wanting to get him out because
he got RSV [Respiratory Synctial Virus] not
too long ago from bein’ out and gettin’ on the
bus. And as you can tell, he’s a little
congested.
- Mother
Interpreting the Results
PovertyTransportation Disadvantage
StigmatizationSocial
Exclusion
Capability
deprivation
Poor living
Left out of:
Community-
level policy
decisions
Access to
shopping
Community
events
Poverty
becomes
transparent
Reliant on
inadequate
public transit
system
Transportation Implications
• Public transit is designed for single individuals, not families
• Buses are not the answer
• Transportation needs to be:
– On-demand
– Door-to-door
– Able to navigate relatively wide geographic distances
– With capacity for riders with baggage (grocery bags, diaper bags, strollers, etc.)
Transportation Innovation
• A low-cost, subsidized Uber or Lyft for
families in temporary housing situations?
• Zipcar car sharing amongst shelters,
subsidized housing, and service providers
Thank You!
Questions?
Courtney Cronley
References
Averitt, S. S. (2003). “Homelessness is not a choice!” The plight of homeless women with preschool children living in
temporary shelters. Journal of Family Nursing, 9(1), 79 – 100.
Barrow, S. M., & Laborde, N. D. (2008). Invisible mothers: Parenting by homeless women separated from their children.
Gender Issues, 25, 157 – 172.
Barrow, S. M., & Lawinski, T. (2009). Contexts of mother-child separations in homeless families. Analyses of Social
Issues and Public Policy, 00(00). 1 – 20.
Bassuk, E. L., & Geller, S. (2006). The role of housing and services in ending family homelessness. Housing Policy
Debate, 17(4), 781 – 806.
Belcher, J. R., DeForge, B. R., & Zanis, D. A. (2005). Why has the social work profession lost sight of how to end
homelessness? Journal of Progressive Human Services, 16(2), 5 – 23.
Broussard, C. A., Joseph, A. L., & Thompson, M. (2012). Stressors and coping strategies used by single mothers living
in poverty. Affilia, 27, 190 – 204.
Cosgrove, L., & Flynn, C. (2005). Marginalized mothers: Parenting without a home. Analyses of Social Issues and
Public Policy, 5(1), 127 – 143.
Courtney, M. E., McMurtry, S. L., & Zinn, A. (2004). Housing problems experienced by recipients of child welfare
services. Child Welfare, 83(5), 393 – 422.
Crawford, D. M., Trotter, E. C., Hartshorn, K. J. S., & Whitbeck, L. B. (2011). Pregnancy and mental health of young
homeless women. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 81(2), 173 – 183.
Creswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (2nd ed.). Thousand
Oaks, CA: Sage.
Crook, W. P. (1999). The new sisters of the road: Homeless women and their children. The Journal of Family Social
Work, 3(4), 49 – 64.
References
Culhane, D. P., & Metraux, S. (2008). Rearranging the deck chairs or reallocating the lifeboats? Homelessness
assistance and its alternatives. Journal of the American Planning Association, 74(1), 111 – 121.
Davis, T. H., & Lane, T. S. (2012). Rapid re-housing of families experiencing homelessness in Massachusetts:
Maintaining housing stability. Center for Social Policy Publications. Paper 61. Retreived on November 21, 2014:
http://scholarworks.umb.edu/csp_pubs/61
Dawson, A., Jackson, D., & Cleary, M. (2013). Mothering on the margins: Homeless mothers with SUD and complex
mental health co-morbidities. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 34, 288 – 293.
DeNavas-Walt, C., & Proctor, B. D. (2014). Income and poverty in the United States: 2013, Current population reports.
Washington, D C: Unite States Census Bureau. Retreived from
http://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2014/demo/p60-249.pdf.
Dotson, H. M. (2011). Homeless women, parents, and children: A triangulation approach analyzing factors influencing
homelessness and child separation. Journal of Poverty, 15(3), 241 – 258.
Garrett, G. R., & Bahr, H. M. (1976). The family backgrounds of skid row women. Journal of Women in Culture and
Society, 2, 369 – 381.
Henry, M., Cortes, A., Morris, S. (2013). The 2013 annual homeless assessment report to Congress (AHAR) – part 1:
Point-in-time estimates of homelessness. Retrieved from: https://www.onecpd.info/resource/3300/2013-ahar-part-1-pit-
estimates-of-homelessness/
Hinton, S., & Cassell, D. (2013). Exploring the lived experiences of homeless families with young children. Early
Childhood Education Journal, 41, 467 – 463.
Hodge, D. R., Moser, S. E., & Shafer, M. S. (2012). Spirituality and mental health among homeless mothers. Social
Work Research, 36 (4), 246 – 255.
Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing Act of 2009. 42 U.S.C. §§103 (2010).
ReferencesHui, V., & Habib, K. N. (2016). Transportation related social exclusions and homelessness: What does the role of
transportation play in improving circumstances of homeless individuals? Paper presented at the 95th Annual Meeting of
Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C.
Jasinski, J. L., Wesely, J. K., Mustaine, E., & Wright, J. D. (2005). The experience of violence in the lives of homeless
women. (NIJ Final Report 211976). Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice. Retreived from:
http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles/nij/grants/211976.pdf
Kennedy, A. C., LaFa Agbényiga, D., Kasiborski, N., & Gladden, J. (2010). Risk chains over the life course among
homeless urban adolescent mothers: Altering their trajectories through formal support. Children and Youth Services
Review, 32, 1730 – 1749.
Lewinson, T., Thomas, M. L., & White, S. (2014). Traumatic transitions: Homeless women’s narratives of abuse, loss,
and fear. Affilia, 29(2), 192 – 205.
Lewis, B. L., & Boulahanis, E. M. (2009). Joined up governance: Mandated collaboration in US homeless services.
International Journal of Public Sector Management, 22(5), 392 – 399.
Meadows-Oliver, M. (2009). Adolescent mothers’ experiences of caring for their children while homeless. Journal of
Pediatric Nursing, 24(6), 458 – 457.
Meadows-Oliver, M., Sadler, L. S., Swartz, M. K., & Ryan-Krause, P. (2007). Sources of stress and support and
maternal resources of homeless teenage mothers. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, 20(2), 116 –
125.
Paquette, K., & Bassuk, E. L. (2009). Parenting and homelessness: Overview and introduction to the special section.
American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 79(3), 292 – 298.
Park, J. M., Metraux, S., Broadbar, G., & Culhne, D. P. (2004). Child welfare involvement among children in homeless
families. Child Welfare, 83(5), 423 – 436.
Rich, A. R., & Clark, C. (2005). Gender differences in response to homelessness services. Evaluation and Program
Planning, 28, 69 – 81.
Sen, A. (2000). Social exclusion: Concept, application, and scrutiny. Social Development Papers no. 1. Office of
Environment and Social Development. Asian Development Bank. Retrieved from: http://www.adb.org/sites/de
fault/files/publication/29778/social-exclusion.pdf
http://www.adb.org/sites/de
References
Shdimah, C. (2009). Rescuing children and punishing poor families: Housing related decisions. Journal of Sociology &
Social Welfare, 36(3), 33 – 57.
Slesnick, N., Glassman, M., Katafiasz, N., & Collins, J. C. (2012). Experiences association with interventions with
homeless, substance-abusing mothers: The Importance of success. Social Work, 57(4), 343 – 352.
Stainbrook, K. A., & Hornik, J. (2006). Similarities in the characteristics and needs of women with children in homeless
family and domestic violence shelters. Families in Society: Journal of Contemporary Social Services, 8(1), 53 – 62.
Swick, K. J., & Williams, R. (2010). The voices of single parent mothers who are homeless: Implications for early
childhood professionals. Early Childhood Education Journal, 38, 49 – 55.
Sznajder-Murray, B., & Slesnick, N. (2011). “Don’t leave me hanging”: Homeless mothers’ perceptions of service
providers. Journal of Social Service Research, 37(5), 457 – 468.
United States Census Bureau. (2012). U. S. Census Bureau: State and County QuickFacts.
Retrieved from: http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/48/48113.html.
United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. (2007). Continuum of care homeless assistance
programs, Federal Register, Vol. 72 No. 48, pp. 11743-4.
United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. (2010). The 2010 Annual Homeless Assessment Report
to Congress. Retrieved from:
https://www.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/2010HomelessAssessmentReport.pdf.
United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. (2012, July 31). Homeless Emergency Assistance and
Rapid Transition to Housing: Continuum of Care Program; Interim Final Rule. 24 CFR Part 578.
Zlotnick, C., Tam, T., & Bradley, K. (2012). Long-term and chronic homelessness in homeless women with children.
Social Work and Public Health, 25(5), 470 – 485.
Zugazaga, C. B. (2008). Understanding social support of the homeless: A comparison of single men, single women, and
women with children. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services, 89(3), 447 – 455.