No Where to Go: An Analysis of the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program

Abstract

The Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP) provides services for homeless people. After demonstrating that the Program is intended to assist people to move on to independent living, the following paper examines the implications of remaining in SAAP services for longer than would otherwise be necessary because there is no where else to go. In particular, the broader social functions of SAAP are examined in the light of the work of Michel Foucault. It is suggested that SAAP serves a specific social function in exerting socially approved power over SAAP users who are forced to remain in SAAP services for longer than would otherwise be required if affordable and appropriate accommodation were available.

Responding to People Sleeping Rough: Dilemmas and Opportunities for Social Work

“…Adopting a similarly critical perspective, Horsell's (2006) theoretical discussions warned social workers against viewing their ''homeless clients'' as objects. He showed how through case management and surveillance (also see Fopp, 1996), the expert social worker's understanding of the problem can be complicit in objectifying people without homes as the problematic ''other''. However, like Zufferey (2008), Horsell (2006) was optimistic about the intellectual capacity of the profession to challenges these partial understandings of homelessness.…”

‘Insiderness’, ‘involvement’ and emotions; impacts for methods, ‘knowledge’ and social research

“…'Sector speak' reflected, amongst other things, distinctive terms that were used by practitioners to describe service users 'needs' and their attendant behaviour (cf. Fopp, 1996). This included ideas about 'support needs', 'chaotic' behaviour and service users' 'capacity' to 'engage' with provision.…”

Social Constructionism and Housing Studies: A Critical Reflection

“…applying Foucault to analyse the social technologies of power which define, problematise and normalise, has been used to evaluate policies and programmes including the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP; Fopp, 1996Fopp, , 2002b.…”