From Stigma to Strength to Survive Homelessness: Constructing the Identity of Women Living in Shelters

Abstract

The experiences of people enduring the stigma of homelessness include
the experience of suffering from labels, stereotypes and societal prejudices.
Based on the analysis of empirical data from a qualitative study, the article
asks how women experiencing homelessness living in shelters interpret
stigma, construct strategies for overcoming stigma and creating a positive
identity, and perceive and explain the role of institutional factors. The article
reveals that most women experiencing homelessness are not passive
in accepting the stigmatised identity associated with being homeless. It
identifies the following coping strategies that women experiencing homelessness
have used to deal with stigma: hiding, resisting, coping. In their
narratives, homeless women made sense of their role as women by creating
a positive self-image and the role of mothers as a socially valuable identity.