“A Mile in Her Shoes”: A qualitative exploration of the perceived benefits of volunteer led running groups for homeless women

Abstract

Abstract“A Mile in Her Shoes” is a volunteer‐led charity which provides running groups for homeless women. The objective of this study was to explore the experiences of homeless women attending these running groups and to establish how participation in a supported running group impacted their lives. This exploratory qualitative study was carried out across two sites in London UK during February and April 2017. All regular attenders of the running groups were invited to participate in the study; subsequently, a self‐selected sample of 11 women consented to being interviewed. Data were collected by female interviewers on a one‐to‐one basis, steered by a semi‐structured topic guide. All interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using thematic analysis. Themes were cross‐referenced by the research team and findings were supported by direct quotes. Five main themes emerged from the findings: the positive impact of the charity; homeless women's motivations and barriers to participating in running groups; the benefits of participating on physical and mental health; the importance and value of social support from the group; and the value of being provided with quality running kit. This study concludes that volunteer‐led running groups are valued by homeless women by helping them take control of their health. It provides insight into their engagement in physical activity, thus potentially helping prevent injury or illness, and aiding recovery and rehabilitation. One implication of this study is that gathering homeless women's views helps to steer how community‐based physical activity programmes can benefit their wellbeing. However, this small‐scale study may have limited generalisability, with the topic warranting further research.

“The group gives me strength”: A group‐based intervention to promote trust and social connectedness among women experiencing homelessness

“…While there was resistance to participation at first, women successively looked forward to participating. Women were able to experience the power of group support (Dawes et al, 2019) and learn social skills that can be applied to other contexts (e.g., family, community, work). The transition from isolation to social connections is the main result of this intervention which was also supported by the results of the interviews.…”

“…The group provides a space for sharing fears and desires, allow people to experience a connection through mirroring (Pines, 2013) and a sense of belonging and recognition of the self (Del Rio & Luppi, 2010), which allow for the implementation of restorative processes (Keats & Sabharwal, 2008) thus increasing trust, cohesion and openness (i.e., revelation of the self). In the case of people experiencing homelessness, some results suggested that this type of intervention along with strength‐based ones can be beneficial to promote social re‐integration (Bani‐Fatemi et al, 2020; Dawes, Sanders, & Allen, 2019; Washington, Moxley, & Taylor, 2009), empowerment and a sense of self‐efficacy (Gaboardi, Zuccalà, Lenzi, Ferrari, & Santinello, 2018; Koudenburg, Jetten, & Dingle, 2017; O'Shaughnessy & Greenwood, 2020) while enhancing the quality of life and the psychological health among people experiencing homelessness (Bani‐Fatemi et al, 2020; Collins et al, 2016; Cruwys et al, 2014; Haslam, Cruwys, Haslam, Dingle, & Chang, 2016; Johnstone, Jetten, Dingle, Parsell, & Walter, 2016; Padgett, Smith, Choy‐Brown, Tiderington, & Mercado, 2016). For example, Barker, Maguire, Bishop, and Stopa (2018) found that being able to support others can foster transformative identity developments that help people escape homelessness.…”

Community and Housing First: A qualitative analysis of USA residents' perspectives

“…Other research has looked at the positive impacts that exercise and social supports can play in people's physical and psychological well‐being. In a recent study, Dawes, Sanders, and Allen () explored the perceived impact of volunteer‐based running groups on the physical and mental health of homeless women as well as the social benefits of being part of a group. Participants described their experiences as empowering and reported that the running group was inclusive, supportive and helped them to cope with their challenging circumstances.…”

“…Participants described their experiences as empowering and reported that the running group was inclusive, supportive and helped them to cope with their challenging circumstances. Research examining participation in and being a part of an exercise group has social support benefits which in turn facilitates continued engagement in that group activity (Dawes et al, ; Sherry, ).…”

“Life Starts for Me Again.” The Social Impact of Psychology on Programs for Homeless People: Solidarity Networks for the Effectiveness of Interventions

“…Social networks have also been related to the higher or lower risk for alcohol and other drugs consumption and have been the object of interventions that improve readiness to change the use of alcohol and other drugs and abstinence self-efficacy (Kennedy et al, 2017). Finally, social support has been promoted through physical activity; fitness interventions in the framework of supporting housing facilities (Sofija et al, 2018) and running groups for homeless women (Dawes et al, 2019) showed benefits both for physical and mental wellbeing and for social inclusion.…”