The meaning of home and the experience of homelessness: a biographical narrative perspective of homeless women

Abstract

This article analyses the home as a field of meanings, as an experience related to the place of creation of human relationships. It means everything to a person: it is a gathering place for their family, a space that signifies security, permanence and coherence. The loss of a home is a major trauma that deeply affects a person emotionally and pushes them into social exclusion – homelessness – and becomes a profound existential experience. Women’s homelessness is of particular relevance because it differs from men’s homelessness not only in the circumstances that lead to homelessness, but also in its forms. Moreover, women experiencing homelessness are quite often forgotten as a category of social exclusion. The aim of this paper is to shed light on the meaning of home and the experience of homelessness in the lives of women who have lost their homes, based on their biographical narratives. A biographical narrative strategy has been used to uncover the women’s experiences, helping to reveal individual experiences by highlighting key life events and turning points. The data were collected through in-depth interviews, where questions are not formulated in advance, allowing the conversation to develop on its own. The participants were 8 women who had been living in a women’s hostel for some time. The life stories of the women who took part in the study revealed that social exclusion cannot be attributed solely to a person’s personal decisions and actions, but is caused by economic, legal, political and cultural factors. The main groups of causes of homelessness that emerged in the women’s stories were alcoholism, financial obligations, mental illness, family events, loss of loved ones, and imprisonment. It should be noted that these causes did not occur in isolation: as one cause manifested itself, its effects were observed to deepen and expand, and to merge with other causes, until finally a combination of causes emerged, resulting in a chain of biographical events culminating in the loss of the home. The study revealed that homeless women feel a strong sense of homesickness, helplessness and fear, but their biographical narratives also reveal manifestations of hope, resilience and self-empowerment, expressing the belief that the hardest days are behind them. Younger women have hopes of getting a job, of receiving state support and of regaining or purchasing their home. Older women are more likely to expect state support and help from social workers. Women with health problems are less likely to see an improvement in the future, but they do not lose hope for a positive change.