Being homeless: Reasons and challenges faced by affected women

Abstract

Traditionally, homeless people have been thought of as largely comprised of alcoholic or mentally distubed individuals, and mainly men. Recently, there has been a recognition of the need to better understand the factors leading women and youth to become homeless. There is also minimal information on the health challenges women face on the streets. This study identifies reasons for moving to the streets and the challenges faced by homeless women. Data for this study were drawn from 18 homeless women aged 17–27 years through indepth, audiotaped interviews from July to August 2010. A questionnaire was used to collect their sociodemographic characteristics. The study revealed that being homeless often resulted from orphanhood, family problems arising from alcoholism, marital disagreement among participants’ parents, polygamy, and participants themselves being in unstable marital relationships. Other reasons for being homeless include searching for means of survival, and unwanted and teenage pregnancies. The homeless women experience different challenges, including unwanted pregnancies and lack of basic needs for themselves and their children. The majority of women living in the street experienced gender violence including forced and early sexual debut; physical and verbal abuse; and rape, involving the risk of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. The findings of this study demonstrate the importance of strong family units in preventing women turning to the streets, as well as social support groups to help end the cycle of poverty and homelessness.