“It's a place to feel like part of the community”: Counterspace, inclusion, and empowerment in a drop‐in center for homeless and marginalized women

Abstract

In the context of rising inequality and eroding safety nets for marginalized communities, research is needed to demonstrate the ways in which settings can facilitate community, agency, and capabilities for low‐income women. The purpose of this study is to examine if and how an organizational setting designed to support homeless, low‐income, and other marginalized women can facilitate empowering changes and increased wellbeing among the women who participate. A thematic analysis of interviews conducted with 22 participants who attend a women's day center identified three ways in which the organizational setting impacted women's lived experiences: (a) increasing a sense of agency through acceptance, active and participatory roles, and ownership over the physical environment, (b) promoting a sense of community through rituals of care and attentiveness, alleviated social isolation, and mutual relationships, and (c) improving life circumstances by offering a safe environment, access to basic resources such as housing, and support for health and wellbeing. Findings highlight the setting features and psychosocial processes that foster flourishing and resist patterns of exclusion and devaluation imposed on marginalized women by dominant neoliberal values, institutions, and policies.

Social isolation and loneliness among people living with experience of homelessness: A scoping review

“…Among the included articles, four focused on women [22][23][24][25] and older women 26 ; ve studies examined a solely male populations [27][28][29][30] or older men. 31 In total, 10 articles focused on older adults, which was usually included early aging starting from 50 years 32 or 55 years 33 of age and above for populations with experience of homelessness.…”

“…A higher score on the LSNS meant greater risk of social isolation. Participants were categorized based on their LSNS score as low risk (0-20), moderate risk (21)(22)(23)(24)(25), high risk (26-30), or isolated (31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38)(39)(40)(41)(42)(43)(44)(45)(46)(47)(48)(49)(50).…”

“…50 Moving into housing can contribute to SIL with a shift from being surrounded by people in a shelter or in jail, to living alone. 65,25 One participant said: "It's [the transition] hard because I'm used to having people around me all the time." 50 In a study by Winer et al 40 , some participants who received housing chose not to socialize or build relationships: "But I don't socialize here at all.…”

Elder‐led cultural identity program as counterspace at a public university: Narratives on sense of community, empowering settings, and empowerment

“…Counterspaces are frequently linked to positive identity development (e.g., Havlicek & Samuels, 2018). Some counterspaces have been found to foster a sense of community among their members and to increase members' sense of agency across contexts (e.g., Toolis et al, 2022). In universities, counterspaces have supported Black and Brown students to push back against whiteness and to offer their own perspectives on higher education (Masta, 2021).…”

The Open Arms Day Centre as a Pou Whirinaki and Key Space of Care within the Conduct of Māori Homeless Lifeworlds in Whangārei, Aotearoa, New Zealand

“…As Conradson (2003, p. 521) contends, within "a neoliberal polity where welfare transactions are increasingly instrumental and output focused", drop-in centres can comprise judgement-free spaces of care, permitting people to simply be, become, and relate to others. Indeed, although frequently confronted with challenges such as underfunding and staff shortages, drop-in centres can offer opportunities for connection, belonging, acceptance, a sense of community and refuge, as well as resources for improving one's health and for finding pathways out of street life (Johnsen et al, 2005;Toolis et al, 2022).…”