Homelessness Week 9

• Social Work
• Higher Education (degree)

Assessment support

belfastmet.instructure.com

Context

• A major impacting factor in service users lives
• Much of what we do/ come into contact with in SW is directly linked/ impacted on by homelessness
• It is often diluted in practice- how?
• Think about your textbooks, other modules, academic discussions? How many of these things focus on homelessness

Additional Resources

Follow up via canvas page for today's lecture material!

Mind Map

Three words that come into your mind when you think of the word 

HOME

HOME

Homelessness can come in many guises

So much of what SW does is evident:  

• Babies, toddlers, children, adolescents in foster care;
  
• Young people in and coming out of residential care!
  
• Field SW and families (placing children / adolescents
  
• into care [residential, fostering, respite, etc.];
  
• Advocating on families behalf with NIHE, Hostels, HA’s, etc.);
• Mental health & SW;
  
• Disabilities, Elders Etc

Shout out

1. Why are you interested in homelessness (Or why NOT?)?

2. Do you think Social Work and Social Workers should be interested in homelessness?

3. What do you think a social worker can offer someone who is potentially / actually homeless?

So what can we do?

Gerry Skelton

SW value, principle and ethical base;

The SW key roles and processes ( Inc : Assessment, intervening, managing ‘risk’, etc.

The SW key tasks, skills, etc (Relationship forming / building, service provision, service brokerage, protection, advocacy, mediation, community development, counselling, MDW, budgeting, benefits, applications advice, etc. 

Cont

The SW key services (CARING! As well as support, protection; etc 

Duty of care ! AND Duty TO care 

So in your SW classes, placements and careers, please continue to discuss and add to this overview.

WATCH

READ

In your groups read your section of the document on canvas and prepare a summary for the class.

Group 1- Pauline, Colin, Seamy & Marni, Danielle PAGE- 5-9

Group 2: Noeleen, Rebekah, Orlaith, Leyla, Faith  - PAGE- 10-15

Group 3: - Rebecca, Ashleigh, Caitlin, Michelle, Helen PAGE-16-18

Group 4- Orlaith F, Stacey, Julie, Diane - PAGE-19-21

Group 5-  Blaine, Mia, Catherine, Megan PAGE- 22-25

Group 6-  Orlaith D, Jodi, Marlene, Torri- 26-28

- Present summary of the case studies

• Last few decades sociological views  focused on social structures & agency as a way to explain increasing presence of poverty. 
• For centuries, the individual blamed as responsible for their hardships.
• This theme of the underserving poor is seen as the moral failings; interpreted as a main cause of homelessness.
• Sociologist can argue against these popular explanations for homelessness by examining broader context such as the opportunities individuals have access to in order to explain their situations.

Marx often looks to the harsh divide between the working classes and the capitalist classes. 

Max Weber on the other hand, looks at the importance of both the influence of class, and power in dominant relations, as well as economic factors when producing and maintaining inequality or inequity. 

Another way to look at this social issue is from the functionalist perspective of French sociologist Emile Durkheim. The theory that social intuitions & processes in society exist to serve some important (or necessary) function to keep society running (Conley, 2017)

Conflict theory- Under Karl Marx’s  theory, society has two classes of people: the owners and the workers. The theory suggests owners exploit the workers, depriving them of the basic human necessities such as food and shelter.  There are power differences among social classes that are created by our capitalistic society, and the entire country is dominated by wealthy groups who gain control through competition and ultimately power.

Eligibility – Someone may be ineligible because they are subject to immigration controls by virtue of Section 119 of The Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. Other persons may be ineligible because the Housing Executive has decided they are to be treated as ineligible because they are guilty of unacceptable behaviour and therefore unsuitable to be a tenant. Ineligibility because of unacceptable behaviour may be something a social worker might wish to challenge if they feel something hasn’t been properly taken into account.

Homelessness – to meet this test, a person must be homeless or threatened with homelessness. The Order states that a person is either homeless if they have no accommodation available or that they are legally entitled to occupy in the UK or elsewhere. It further states that a person shall not be treated as having accommodation unless it is accommodation which it would be reasonable for them to continue to occupy. A person may also be homeless if they have accommodation but it is probable that occupation of it will lead to violence or threats of violence from some other person residing in it.

Priority Need – the person must be deemed to have a priority need. The priority need list consists of:

 – A pregnant woman or a person with whom a pregnant woman resides or might be reasonably expected to reside;

 – A person with whom dependent children reside or might be reasonably expected to reside; 

– A person who is vulnerable as a result of old age, mental illness or handicap or physical disability or other special reason, or with whom such a person resides or might be reasonably expected to reside; – A person who is homeless or threatened with homelessness as a result of an emergency such as a flood, fire or other disaster; 

– A person without dependent children, who satisfies the Housing Executive that they have been subject to violence and are at risk of violent pursuit or, if they return home, are at risk of further violence;

 – A young person, who satisfies the Housing Executive that they are at risk of sexual or financial exploitation.

Intentionality

 – a person may be deemed intentionally homeless if they do or fail to do anything which causes them to cease to occupy accommodation which would have been reasonable for them to continue to occupy. The intentionality test is also an area where social workers may need to advocate to ensure that someone’s individual circumstances are taken into account. For example, a mental health issue could lead to someone failing to pay their rent or keep a house in reasonable condition. Unavoidable personal or financial issues such as illness or loss of employment may also be mitigating factors.

(Doh, 2019)

When social workers intervene to prevent or tackle homelessness, they are supporting people at all levels of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. These needs include: the physiological need for shelter and warmth; the need for safety through reducing the risks of being a victim of violence on the streets, the sense of belonging provided by having somewhere to call your own; rebuilding the self esteem which may have been damaged through experiencing homelessness related stigma and the opportunities for growth and development that a stable and secure home can bring. (DoH, 2019, p.5)