College of Social Work
100 Interventions to Eliminate or Reduce Homeism
Dayttn Bartschi and Sarah Canham
Faculty Mentor: Sarah Canham (Social Work, University of Utah)
Abstract
The stigmatization of and discrimination toward people experiencing homelessness (known as “homeism”) stands as one of the defining social issues of our day. Due to the increasing number of people experiencing homelessness, it is more important than ever to find accessible, equitable, and sustainable interventions for homeism. This brief provides an outline of interventions that have been evaluated in past research, as well as interventions that people with lived experience of homelessness believe would be effective to implement in Salt Lake County. These interventions have been categorized into educational, social activism, and interpersonal contact interventions
Introduction
The stigmatization of and discrimination toward people experiencing homelessness limits their ability to participate in society and have their needs met. Homeism is a term used to describe the stigmatization of and discrimination toward people experiencing homelessness.1 Amidst the rising numbers of people experiencing homelessness in the United States, over 653,000,2 and millions globally, there is a significant need for effective interventions against homeism. Studies report that at least 50% of people experiencing homelessness perceive being stigmatized and discriminated against,3 while other research shows that effective interventions can reduce perceived stigma and discrimination by at least 25%.4
Research Overview
A community consultation of people with lived experience of homelessness and social service providers who support people experiencing homelessness was conducted on August 18, 2023, in Salt Lake City, Utah.5,6 Community consultations provide an expert view into whether existing research literature provides sufficient information on a topic and where there may be gaps in the literature.7,8 In this case, community members were consulted about the stigmatization of and discrimination toward people experiencing homelessness.
Discussions at the community consultation were audio-recorded and transcribed. The transcriptions were then analyzed and coded using thematic analysis to identify the main themes and ideas in the data.9 Two independent researchers coded the data using NVivo qualitative analysis software.10 This analysis identified interventions to combat homeism and findings were compared to prior research. The result is a list of interventions that are considered the most feasible to implement in Salt Lake County, Utah.
In total, there were 25 community consultation participants. More than half of the participants (64%; n=16) identified as female, 28% (n=7) identified as male, 4% (n=1) identified as non-binary, and 4% (n=1) did not report. Most participants identified as white (60%; n=15), 12% (n=3) as Black, 12% (n=3) as Hispanic/Latinx, 4% (n=1) as bi-racial, 4% (n=1) as Native Hawa