Women, Homelessness and Service Provision 7 violence on women who access homeless services was reported, as was the need for improved childcare support and service provision that would permit homeless mothers with children not in their care to have more frequent access to, and visitation with, their children in safe and secure environments. Numerous structural issues were perceived to negatively impact women’s ability to successfully exit homelessness and sustain housing, including: a lack of move-on housing options; funding and budget constraints; delayed social welfare payments; and long waiting lists/periods for social housing and specialist services (e.g. mental health, drug and/or alcohol treatment). Overall, the findings of this mapping exercise point to significant gaps in service provision targeting homeless women in the Dublin region, as well as a lack of attention to gender within the overall structure of services targeting the homeless. Service providers also reported a perceived lack of gender-sensitive programmes and services, which in turn appears to “reflect the patriarchal underpinning of current service provision and policy” (Mayock et al., 2013: 31). The link between domestic violence and homelessness is well recognised internationally, including in Ireland (Edgar et al., 2004; FEANTSA, 2007; Jones, 1999; Jones et al., 2010; Mayock and Sheridan, 2012a, b; Quilgars and Pleace, 2010; Reeves et al., 2006). Historically, however, service responses to domestic violence and to homelessness have been separate in their organisation, structure and aims across many European countries (Baptista, 2010). Some women who have experienced violence, or are at immediate risk of violence, may be unable to access refuge services because of issues related to challenging behaviour, addiction and/or mental ill-health. Indeed, domestic violence services are often unwilling to accept those with mental health problems (Davis, 2005, cited in Netto et al., 2009), those with substance misuse issues and/or individuals who exhibit anti-social behaviour (Quilgars and Pleace, 2010). Consequently, women with complex support needs, including women who have families (Pleace et al., 2008), frequently have no option but to access low-threshold and largely male-dominated emergency settings that are ill-equipped to meet their needs (Quilgars and Pleace, 2010). Very often, the type and level of support offered within homeless services is not adequate for women who have been made homeless due to domestic violence. Indeed, it has been argued that staff members in mainstream homeless services need to be specifically trained to recognise the needs of women fleeing violence and have the knowledge and facilities to provide sufficient support to this particular group of women (FEANTSA, 2007). The apparent dis-connect between domestic violence support services and homeless support services has been highlighted in Baker et al.’s (2010) review of housing policies and programme practices for women with experiences of domestic violence in the United States. This review revealed a lack of collaboration between homeless and domestic violence service providers which, in turn, can inadvertently classify domestic violence and homelessness as distinct and separate processes despite the fact that these experiences are often intertwined and over- lapping in some women’s lives. The authors concluded that if this dis-connect remains, women fleeing domestic abuse will continue to “not fit perfectly into either system, and therefore, receive insufficient or inappropriate services” (Baker et al., 2010:435). Gender and Service Provision The need for gender-sensitive strategies and responses to homelessness has been highlighted by numerous researchers and commentators in more recent years in particular (Baptista, 2010; Edgar and Doherty, 2001; Young, 2010). Although under-researched, a number of studies have examined homeless persons’ experiences and perceptions of services. For example, Hoffman and Coffey (2008) drew on a database of 500 interviews with homeless men and women in Portland, Oregon, to examine both positive and negative service experiences. This study found that the participants more frequently described their interactions with homeless service
Women, Homelessness and Service Provision
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