Finding the Meaning of Home in a Homeless Shelter

where

do you feel at home is feeling at home

about the people in your life a culture

a community day-to-day activities

a physical structure 15 years ago

i completed a qualitative research study

on a men’s homeless shelter i spent a

year

visiting and listening to the men’s

stories

about their experiences with the shelter

i

interviewed those associated with the

operations of the shelter

the director her staff and board members

along with a group interview

with community participants from

agencies

involved in the resident’s life i found

that the resident’s emotional connection

to the shelter

was one of a feeling of home

i discovered that what the residents

valued in the shelter

is what i value in a home the shelter

located in the inner city

provided long-term residency options

with a harm

reduction philosophy 68

men were provided with

dormitory beds and shared meals within a

secure

setting locked doors at night

24-hour monitoring the staff

and the director worked with other

inner-city agencies

to access those necessary services

required

by the men according to

the director and the staff the shelter

accommodated a sub-sector

of the homeless population trapped

in a cycle of homelessness because of

chronic substance abuse

and or severe and persistent mental

illnesses

the first time i walked into the shelter

the idea of a home did not enter my mind

i was distracted by the walls of this

rundown structure

in the faces of men who appearances

reflected hardships and

suffering but two weeks into my business

i began to experience a sense of comfort

being in the presence of these

interesting personalities

and the men started to experience

comfort

and trust in my presence and

affectionately gave me the street name

and of green gables an indication of

their wit

the shelter took on a home-like

atmosphere

where residents interacted with other

residents and staff

and established emotional bonds

warmth and human connections were

enriched

with stories that carried laughter and

humor

similar to the lighthearted and funny

interactions in my own home

so how did a shelter evolve into a place

where residents trapped in a cycle of

homelessness

internalize the deeper meaning of home

i learned from the residents that the

shelter’s regulations

did not compromise its home-like

atmosphere

to the extent they felt

institutionalized

like the residents being free

within a limit to make my own choices

even if those choices do not always have

a good outcome for me

has been my experience of home

as time went on i became aware

of a community within the inner city of

men

and women who understood and accepted

the residence i realized that

my needs were not unlike the residents

needs

access to washroom and laundry

facilities

brought dignity to their lives

a casual job

or collecting and recycling resellable

items from

the garbage bins gave some of the men a

purpose

memories of special plan celebrations

captured in keepsakes and pictures

reminded me of those special

celebrations

in my own family men

once faceless once isolated

now had a face as told to me by one of

the residents

he no longer feared dying alone on the

streets

in his own field

the men had a personal space where they

were greeted and addressed

by name shared memories

feelings and opinions gave meaning to

the men’s life

a plaque on the wall with the name of

deceased residents

acknowledges their lives and death

from this experience

the meaning of home change for me

from a personal space that goes beyond a

physical structure

and provides a sense of connection and

grounding

in this world i met a resident

who had just returned to the shelter

he was incoherent and believing evil

spirits

were following him his hair was

matted and greasy and clothes covered

with grime

but in spite

of his mental state he was able to let

the custom officials know that this

shelter

is his home just that

he was now under the watchful

and concerned eye of the director who

was arranging medical services for him

does that only show the meaning of home

that goes beyond

a physical structure that went beyond

a mind disconnected from most of reality

as written in 2002 by max van maaden

a canadian scholar how can we understand

something that we have not experienced

ourselves one useful approach

is to employ the theme of sameness and

differences

we can understand how people differ

by being attentive to what we share in

common

by showing how we are different through

sameness

are the factors that created a home for

the residents

the same for you

being valued as an individual in a

relationship

an identification with a culture

and accepting and supportive community

purposeful day-to-day activities

and a physical structure that you can

call

home wherever we find a place to call

home

fairies for all of us because of our

diverse characteristics and needs

a small sector of the homeless

population

found a home relatable to them

so is the solution to homelessness

building structures

is that the only solution or is the

solution

creating homes from these structures

creating homes within

supportive communities relatable

to the diverse characteristics and needs

within the homeless population

you