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Using a developmental action research strategy to build theory for intervention into homelessness among minority women
- Authors:
- MOXLEY David P., WASHINGTON Olivia G.M.
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work in Mental Health, 10(5), 2012, pp.426-444.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Developmental action research (DAR) is a form of inquiry useful in the design of potential action to refine its qualities, evaluate its merits, and institutionalise promising interventions within a specific context. The aim of this article is to describe the use of DAR to formulate theory to guide the development of subsequent intervention models and procedures into homelessness among older African-American women. The Leaving Homelessness Intervention Research Project (LHIRP) is a partnership of action and inquiry among academics and older African-American women who are either struggling with homelessness or dealing with the social forces that tipped them into homelessness. LHIRP has incorporated numerous strategies and approximately 8 multi-intervention and multilevel action research projects. The article describes how DAR and midline theory are used to guide the development of LHIRP interventions. Through multiple and diverse interactions with the project participants, new knowledge emerges to explain how homelessness occurs among minority women, how to guide interventions to effectively address this issue, and how to guide the design and development of subsequent intervention models and procedures to help the participants leave and remain out of homelessness.
Development of a multimodal assessment framework for helping older African American women transition out of homelessness
- Authors:
- WASHINGTON Olivia G.M., MOXLEY David P.
- Journal article citation:
- Smith College Studies in Social Work, 79(2), 2009, pp.103-124.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
The evolution of an assessment strategy and process found to be useful in planning older African American women’s transition from homelessness is described. The assessment framework was developed and tested through action research by the Detroit-based Leaving Homelessness Intervention Research project (LHIRP) in partnership with older homeless and formerly homeless African American women. Over a 10 year period LHIRP undertook multiple subprojects which either documented homeless experiences or consequences among approximately 550 older African American women who participated in some aspects of the project or created new interventions based on the illumination of the lived experiences of homelessness among participants. The assessment framework described is a product of the LHIRP substudy titled Advocacy for Leaving Homelessness. The content was derived from community needs assessment, group work, narrative interviewing, collaborative social action and the analysis of participants’ stories captured through alternative methods such as photography and quilting. In this article the authors delineate the properties of the assessment framework, consider the distinctive features of the framework, and highlight the manner in which specific assessment tools are integrated into the process of advocacy.