Evolution of the accommodation situation among women living homeless in Madrid, Spain: A longitudinal study.

Abstract

Women constitute a particularly vulnerable subgroup of people living homeless, with their own set of circumstances and life histories that are different from men in the same situation. In this paper, we present the results of a longitudinal study on the situation, needs, characteristics, and process of change among women in a homeless situation in Madrid (Spain). This study involved 136 homeless women who were spending the night at shelters, drop-in centers, on the street, or in public spaces. Data was collected through structured interviews conducted every 6 months for a total of 3 years. Throughout that period of time approximately half of the interviewed leaves the most extreme situation of homelessness. One in four interviewees gained access to independent accommodation, although in most cases this did not mean that they were no longer in a position of residential exclusion. The logistic regression analyses performed suggested that the variables with the closest correlation to improved accommodation were: receiving stable government economic benefits, obtaining income from work, not having Spanish nationality, not having a disability and having suffered fewer stressful life events at baseline, as well as a better perceived state of health. However, with regard to access to independent accommodation, the most closely-related variables were receiving stable government economic benefits and obtaining an income from work. Public Policy Relevance StatementThis longitudinal study showed that approximately half of the women living homeless interviewed in Madrid leaves the most extreme situation of homelessness during a 3-year follow-up period. The most significant factors in improving accommodation were receiving government benefits or income from work, having suffered fewer stressful life events, not having a disability and having better perceived health. The variables with the closest correlation to access to independent accommodation were receiving government benefits or obtaining a job. Data obtained can be useful for policy makers design programs to support This research was supported by "Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacio ´n" of Spain (PID2019-104152 GB-I00/

Housing insecurity and employment stability: An investigation of working mothers

“…However, not all mothers experience the same employment climates due to the complex interplay between occupation types, workplace expectations, and family situations. Although housing insecurity is a significant barrier to women entering or remaining in the labor force (Desmond & Gershenson, 2016; Vázquez et al, 2022), less is known about its function as a predictor of employment experiences for women struggling to meet basic family needs. The present study used latent class analysis to identify heterogeneous subgroups of employment stability informed by multiple employment‐related factors among a sample of at‐risk mothers.…”

Effects of perceived discrimination on health, social support, and risk of mental ill-health among women experiencing homelessness in Spain: A longitudinal study.

“…Physical and mental health problems have been considered risk factors for women experiencing homelessness (Guillén et al, 2020(Guillén et al, , 2021Rodríguez-Moreno et al, 2020). Compared with men in the same situation, women experiencing homelessness in Spain suffer more physical and sexual violence and more stressful life events in all periods of their lives, present with higher rates of "revolvingdoor" homelessness (i.e., suffering from multiple episodes of homelessness after having gained access to independent housing), have spent less time in formal employment, have suffered proportionally more from severe or chronic illness, and make greater use of sedatives (Rodríguez-Moreno et al, 2020;Vázquez et al, 2022;Vázquez, Panadero, & Pascual, 2019).…”

“…There is a tendency to blame people experiencing homelessness for their situation, considering the issue of homelessness as an individual problem rather than a systemic, structural issue (Vázquez et al, 2021). However, not having a home is mainly a poverty issue (Aubry et al, 2012; Vázquez et al, 2022), and economic factors are highly significant predictors for access to housing. Along with subsidized housing, the receipt of stable economic income (from work or government benefits) is the most significant factor associated with the move from homelessness to stable housing among women experiencing homeless in Madrid (Vázquez et al, 2022).…”

“…However, not having a home is mainly a poverty issue (Aubry et al, 2012; Vázquez et al, 2022), and economic factors are highly significant predictors for access to housing. Along with subsidized housing, the receipt of stable economic income (from work or government benefits) is the most significant factor associated with the move from homelessness to stable housing among women experiencing homeless in Madrid (Vázquez et al, 2022).…”