Invisible pathways: Narratives and geographies of homeless women in Lisbon city

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Women´s Homelessness and Housing Exclusion in Lisbon Metropolitan Area: An In-depth Exploratory Study

Publication . Nobre, Sónia Alexandra de Barros Rito Nunes; Pires, Iva Miranda; Mayock, Paula

There is a paucity of research dedicated to women´s homelessness worldwide and, certainly, in Portugal. This doctoral dissertation is the outcome of an exploratory, in-depth research of 34 women experiencing homelessness or housing exclusion in the Northern Lisbon Metropolitan Area (Portugal). The European Typology of Homelessness and Housing Exclusion was adopted in this study, enabling the inclusion of situations that would have remained concealed if the narrower national definition of homelessness had been deployed. Grounded on an ecological approach, this study addressed women´s homelessness in a contextualized and comprehensive manner. Different theoretical lenses - including the life course perspective and perspectives focused on identity work, the presentation of self and the management of stigma - have guided the analysis of several dimensions of homelessness. This qualitative study integrated biographical interviews with ethnography and fieldwork spanned from 2015 to 2018. The collected data enabled the characterization of this group of women experiencing homelessness or housing exclusion, and the analysis of their paths into and through homelessness, their understanding of homelessness, the issues related to their access to housing, how they negotiate and cope with homelessness, and their perceived needs and views of the future. The findings of this research demonstrated regularities and singularities in thecharacteristics and life histories of the participants and exposed several gender issues. The study highlighted the relational dimension of participants´ lives and, in particular, the relevance of motherhood. The diverse paths into the women´s homelessness were examined in detail and revealed that they are the culmination of events and circumstances that unfolded over time and frequently dated from childhood. Participants´ trajectories through homelessness and the dynamics underpinning their multiple transitions between varied living situations were documented. Furthermore, the opportunities and barriers these women confront in an attempt to find a place to live were identified. The study has also portrayed these women´s experiences in various contexts, revealing the complexity and multiplicity of their representations and relations with spaces such as the street, shelters, rooms and the homes of family members. The diverse meanings attached by the participants to homelessness and home, and the varied ways in which they positioned themselves in relation to homelessness, underline the ambiguity and subjectivity of the concepts of homelessness and home. Despite the hardships they endured throughout their lives and during periods of homelessness, these women endeavour to maintain their dignity and retain a sense of personal worth and purpose, which they do through several strategies and a myriad of internal resources and forms of identity work. The findings of this study have enabled the development of recommendations that focus on the prevention of women´s homelessness and on interventions in the lives of homeless women which are aimed at serving their specific needs.

2021-06-16Tese de doutoramento

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Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia

Programa de financiamento

OE

Número da atribuição

SFRH/BD/104321/2014