54 Simon Communities in Ireland inability to cope or difficulties in sustaining rental payments. Following the breakdown of their accommodation, women invariably returned to the homeless service system. There are a number of noteworthy features related to the patterns of ‘institutional cycling’ reported by many of the women. On the one hand, women disliked communal living situations and frequently struggled to adapt to settings where they had no privacy and experienced very little autonomy; they also frequently experienced a profound sense of aloneness despite living in close proximity to others. Perhaps paradoxically, the transition out of these environments was often markedly challenging for women, often because they experienced loneliness and also because they found themselves unable to navigate the everyday demands of independent living. Several women openly admitted to having lost the ability to live independently and most stressed the need for ongoing support to enable them to sucessfully maintain housing. Likewise, service providers frequently spoke at length about the risks posed to women who remain in service settings for prolonged periods, often framing the consequences in terms of women’s growing dependence on services; the upshot is that many find that they are unable to cope with independence while others, according to practitioners, are reluctant and even afraid to move to alternative (independent) accommodation. These findings suggest that homeless emergency shelters, in particular, can serve to maintain women in homelessness rather than work to resolve their housing needs (Busch- Geertsema and Sahlin, 2007). Numerous barriers to housing stability clearly emerge from this research, the most significant being the lack of affordable housing options. This absence of affordable housing has been highlighted as a barrier to progressing and implementing housing-led approaches in the Irish context (Kennedy et al., 2013). However, other issues, particularly the lack of support available to women following an exit from homeless services, are also apparent. Indeed, women frequently referred to their need for ongoing support with daily life and living, maintaining access to their children and dealing with mental health and/or substance use problems, in many cases. At a point when homelessness policy has shifted towards a housing-led approach (O’Sullivan, 2012), the structure and organisation of homeless services appears not to be adequately oriented towards the development of policies aimed at supporting women in housing. While an insufficient supply of affordable accommodation remains a key challenge in adopting a housing-led approach (Bevan and Pleace, 2014), there is a need for homeless services to develop strategies that enable individuals to maintain housing from the point – and well after – housing is secured. Women’s Service Experiences In general, women’s service experiences were mixed and complex. On the one hand, positive experiences were reported, particularly in relation to the value women placed on the development of supportive relationships with service providers. A considerable number clearly felt cared for, respected and encouraged, and the narratives of these women correspond closely with what Bierdman and Nichols (2014) describe as ‘humanising’ experiences. Irrespective of the types of services that women accessed over time, almost all valued the practical advice they received, particularly in relation to assistance with better access to social welfare entitlements and health care. Importantly, a large number of the women were very familiar with the service sector because they had spent years moving in and out of homeless and/or domestic violence services. They were therefore knowledgeable about the ethos, rules and regimes that characterised a range of service settings and were frequently guided by personal experience in relation to choosing a service in instances where more than one option was available to them. This finding highlights women’s active role in seeking out services that they feel are better suited to their situations and needs at various junctures. It also points to a need for services to recognise and focus to a greater extent on women’s autonomy and agency in ensuring the provision of flexible services tailored to meet women’s needs.
Women, Homelessness and Service Provision
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