“It's no foundation, there's no stabilization, you're just scattered”: A qualitative study of the institutional circuit of recently-evicted people who use drugs

Original research
by
Fleming, Taylor et al

Release Date

2023

Geography

Canada

Language of Resource

English

Full Text Available

No

Open Access / OK to Reproduce

No

Peer Reviewed

Yes

Objective

This study characterizes housing trajectories of recently-evicted PWUD through the lens of the institutional circuit of homelessness and explores how wider contexts of structural vulnerability shape experiences within this.

Findings/Key points

Participants described patterns of residential instability consisting of frequent cycling between shelters, streets, and kin-based networks. While participants normalized this cycling as characteristic of their marginalized social positions, narratives revealed how the demands of the institutional circuit deepened vulnerabilities and prolonged experiences of homelessness. Experiences were framed by participants' (in)ability to navigate survival needs (e.g., shelter, drug use), with tensions and trade-offs between needs increasing participants' and their peers' risks of harm. Constructions of agency further shaped experiences; accounts highlighted tensions between the control inherent to indoor spaces and participants’ need for autonomy. Findings demonstrate how the demands of the institutional circuit foregrounded structural vulnerabilities to perpetuate cycles of instability.

Design/methods

Qualitative interviews (n=58; 3-6 month follow-up with 41)

Keywords

About PWUD
Housing
Social services
Poverty