Homelessness is a collective societal problem, and people who are homeless are often treated as society's underclass, stigmatised and excluded. These issues are often exacerbated among homeless people from countries other than the one in which they are currently living. In this paper we report findings from a qualitative study of homeless women, case managers and health professionals from a Maintenance Support Program and their personal accounts and insights into their experiences of the program. This paper presents the third and last sub-theme "societal factors" of the study where the overarching theme was "A life-changing event: I have the power to change." This sub-theme is supported by three categories including gender, race and ethnicity, and environment. The findings highlight the impact of the societal factors that linked women's experiences with domestic violence and abuse. Further cultural views regarding the role of women in society hinder their capacity to recognise that they should not be treated differently and that they should be supported to access health and social services to improve their lives in a safe and supportive environment.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	qualitative, women, homelessness
Research Division:	Health Sciences
Research Group:	Health services and systems
Research Field:	Mental health services
Objective Division:	Health
Objective Group:	Public health (excl. specific population health)
Objective Field:	Mental health
UTAS Author:	McMaster, R (Professor Rose McMaster)
UTAS Author:	Kornhaber, R (Dr Rachel Kornhaber)
UTAS Author:	Cleary, M (Professor Michelle Cleary)
ID Code:	117395
Year Published:	2017
Web of Science® Times Cited:	3
Deposited By:	Health Sciences
Deposited On:	2017-06-13
Last Modified:	2019-09-20
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