Homelessness Workers Negotiating the Relationship between Identity and Practice: How Gender, Age and Background Influence Worker-Service User Relationship

Abstract

The relationships people who are homeless form with homelessness workers influence how successfully they navigate the homelessness system. Despite relationships being composed of two or more people, research often focuses on the experiences of people who are homeless, neglecting the experiences of workers. Using interviews with 15 workers from homeless hostels across the Scottish Central Belt, this study explored how their identities, experiences, and beliefs influenced their practice and relationships with residents. Theories of impression management, gender performativity, intersectionality, and “use of self” formed a framework to inform the analysis. The analysis revealed that gender, age, and background impacted practice and relationships, both positively and negatively, with residents and fellow workers. Interviewees also discussed ways in which they explicitly addressed these factors in their practice. The findings suggest that training programmes, such as roleplay, should be devised which acknowledge the implications of gender, age, and background on worker–service user relationships.