Highlights
Experimental housing research relying on existing community resources may face complex barriers.
Key stakeholders present issues encountered in an attempted Housing First randomized trial.
Lessons learned include enhancing buy‐in with partnering organizations and local policymakers.
Homeless service systems have been implementing assessment tools to inform service provision for individuals and families. Although a variety of assessments are available, their psychometric evidence base is limited. The self‐sufficiency matrix (SSM) is one assessment that demonstrates promising reliability and validity. However, the SSM's factor structure has been inconsistent across studies. This study explored the factor structure of the SSM, using exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis in a sample of individuals (N = 427) and families (
N = 428) at risk of or experiencing homelessness. Data were derived from a midwestern city's Homeless Management Information System and included all participants from the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re‐Housing Program. Results suggest the SSM is multidimensional and the factor structure differs across individuals and families. Additionally, the SSM demonstrates measurement invariance across racial and gender groups. Further development and testing of the SSM is necessary to better serve individuals experiencing homelessness.
College enrollment in the United States is higher than it has ever been before. However, there is a strong delineation between students who know how to use education as a tool and students who do not. This study aims to understand the importance of sense of community and faculty-student relationships to student success and engagement. This cross-sectional study used quantitative and qualitative methodologies to examine sense of community and engagement in 210 undergraduate students. Sense of community, mentorship, university experiences, social intelligence, and demographic variables were analyzed using bivariate correlations, multiple linear regression, t-tests, and thematic content analysis. The research literature in this area supports the notion that higher social intelligence, sense of community and quality of mentoring relationships are all beneficial for long term success in academia and elsewhere; however, there is no published research to date that critically explores the relationship between these three phenomena. Results suggest that sense of community, mentorship, university experiences and social intelligence are important for academic success. Further, results highlight a difference in sense of community between transfer students and non-transfer students. This study suggests the need to examine these primary study variables in greater depth. These findings have ramifications throughout the fields of education and psychology because if we know what comprises the ability to use education as a tool, we can help others use this tool wisely to meet both professional and personal goals.
The study examined how friendships among women in recovery from substance use disorders are related to individual resources (e.g., social support, self-esteem, and hope) and empowerment (e.g., power and optimism). Findings from a path analysis of 244 women in recovery revealed that friendships among women were positively related to individual resources; that is, the stronger the relationships with other women, the higher women perceived their resources to be. Further, individual-level resources mediated the relations between friendships and empowerment, with higher levels of individual resources related to higher levels of empowerment constructs of power and optimism. Results point to the importance of developing and sustaining empowering relationships for women in recovery. Findings have implications for gender-specific treatment practices and recommendations impacting substance use recovery outcomes.
The objectives of this systematic review were to synthesize available information on social support and social networks among individuals experiencing chronic homelessness, examine the measurement of social support, the impact of social support on outcomes, and the impact of interventions on social support. The authors searched Academic Search Complete, PsycArticles, Pubmed, PsycINFO, ScienceDirect, Cinahl, and ProQuest for English-language empirical articles published between 1998 and 2019. Studies were included if they sampled single and unaccompanied adults experiencing chronic homelessness and examined the impact of social support and/or social networks. The search yielded 29 studies. Results were synthesized according to research questions and patterns of findings that emerged from included studies. Wide variability in the measurement of social support was found across studies. Nearly all studies found changes in social support associated with housing interventions. A substantial evidence base indicated intervention effects on social support are largely positive. Review findings suggest individuals with substance use disorders may require additional social functioning support once housed. Indigenous people may require tailored interventions to center their cultural values and facilitate existing community strengths. Overall, the results from this review suggest social support plays a key role in the housing experiences and outcomes of individuals experiencing chronic homelessness. Future studies should include qualitative and mixed methods work as these methods revealed important insights about social support. More evidence is needed to inform the development of specific interventions targeting social support Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Camilla
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