IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/socpsy/v68y2022i3p525-532.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

‘Even a smile helps’: Exploring the interactions between people experiencing homelessness and passersby in public spaces

Author

Listed:
  • Alyssa Tate
  • Kaéla Edwards
  • Nichole Holmes
  • Steven Buffer
  • Zachary Fusfeld
  • Willie Baronet
  • Rosemary Frasso

Abstract

Background: Many people experiencing homelessness dwell, panhandle, or congregate in public spaces where they frequently cross paths with others. In these spaces, they can be recipients of acts of kindness or emotional and physical insult, but there is little research on the quality, nature, or value of interactions between people living on the street and those who pass them by. Aim: This study explored the lived experiences of unhoused people who panhandle and their interactions with passersby in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Methods: Forty semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants who were approached while panhandling and asked to describe their experiences asking for help in public and accessing homelessness services, as well as what they wished to share with passersby. Interviews were coded and analyzed using a directed content analysis approach. Results: Participants described being ignored and subjected to violence, leading them to crave meaningful interaction with passersby. They also described experiences of receiving kindness and support while panhandling. Many shared personal histories of tragedy and called for greater empathy and compassion from passersby, as well as society as a whole, for people experiencing homelessness. Conclusion: Participants’ experiences were consistent with loneliness, as characterized in the literature as distress at lack of social connection, and were also notable for the verbal and physical violence endured in public spaces. Social isolation and trauma are detrimental to mental health in this vulnerable group, so interventions to support this population should provide opportunities for consistent, supportive social connections and focus on providing low-barrier, stable housing.

Suggested Citation

  • Alyssa Tate & Kaéla Edwards & Nichole Holmes & Steven Buffer & Zachary Fusfeld & Willie Baronet & Rosemary Frasso, 2022. "‘Even a smile helps’: Exploring the interactions between people experiencing homelessness and passersby in public spaces," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 68(3), pages 525-532, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:sae:socpsy:v:68:y:2022:i:3:p:525-532
    DOI: 10.1177/0020764021989385
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0020764021989385
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/0020764021989385?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mejia-Lancheros, Cilia & Lachaud, James & Woodhall-Melnik, Julia & O'Campo, Patricia & Hwang, Stephen W. & Stergiopoulos, Vicky, 2021. "Longitudinal interrelationships of mental health discrimination and stigma with housing and well-being outcomes in adults with mental illness and recent experience of homelessness," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 268(C).
    2. Roos, L.E. & Mota, N. & Afifi, T.O. & Katz, L.Y. & Distasio, J. & Sareen, J., 2013. "Relationship between adverse childhood experiences and homelessness and the impact of Axis I and II disorders," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 103(S2), pages 275-281.
    3. Walid Abdul Hamid & Til Wykes & Stephen Stansfeld, 1993. "The Homeless Mentally Ill: Myths and Realities," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 39(4), pages 237-254, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Shiyou Wu & Lac Ta & Jaime Vieira & Kendall Schwartz & Joshua Perez & Justin Zeien & Danyi Li & Jennifer Hartmark-Hill, 2024. "Adverse Childhood Experiences and Depression among Homeless Young Adults: A Social Determinants of Health Perspective," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(1), pages 1-15, January.
    2. Mzwandile A. Mabhala & Asmait Yohannes, 2019. "Being at the Bottom Rung of the Ladder in an Unequal Society: A Qualitative Analysis of Stories of People without a Home," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-19, November.
    3. Daniel K Cooper & Mayra Bámaca-Colbert & Eric K Layland & Emily G Simpson & Benjamin L Bayly, 2021. "Puerto Ricans and Mexican immigrants differ in their psychological responses to patterns of lifetime adversity," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(10), pages 1-22, October.
    4. Hiles Howard, Amanda R. & Parris, Sheri & Hall, Jordan S. & Call, Casey D. & Razuri, Erin Becker & Purvis, Karyn B. & Cross, David R., 2015. "An examination of the relationships between professional quality of life, adverse childhood experiences, resilience, and work environment in a sample of human service providers," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 141-148.
    5. Mzwandile Mabhala & Winifred Adaobi Esealuka & Amanda Nkolika Nwufo & Chinwe Enyinna & Chelsea Nonkosi Mabhala & Treasure Udechukwu & John Reid & Asmait Yohannes, 2021. "Homelessness Is Socially Created: Cluster Analysis of Social Determinants of Homelessness (SODH) in North West England in 2020," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-14, March.
    6. Mersky, Joshua P. & Janczewski, Colleen E. & Nitkowski, Jenna C., 2018. "Poor mental health among low-income women in the U.S.: The roles of adverse childhood and adult experiences," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 206(C), pages 14-21.
    7. Walid Khalid Abdul-Hamid & Kamaldeep Bhui, 2014. "Psychiatry, homeless patients and welfare reforms: Historical links and chains," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 60(1), pages 71-74, February.
    8. Kamaldeep Bhui & Lisa Shanahan & Geoff Harding, 2006. "Homelessness and Mental Illness: A Literature Review and a Qualitative Study of Perceptions of the Adequacy of Care," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 52(2), pages 152-165, March.
    9. Guru S Gowda & G Gopika & Narayana Manjunatha & Channaveerachari Naveen Kumar & Ravi Yadav & Dwarakanath Srinivas & Bharath Rose Dawn & Suresh Bada Math, 2017. "Sociodemographic and clinical profiles of homeless mentally ill admitted in mental health institute of South India: ‘Know the Unknown’ project," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 63(6), pages 525-531, September.
    10. Cohen-Cline, Hannah & Jones, Kyle & Vartanian, Keri, 2021. "Direct and indirect pathways between childhood instability and adult homelessness in a low-income population," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:socpsy:v:68:y:2022:i:3:p:525-532. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.