Starting Points in working with People who are Homeless

Early on a Tuesday morning a worker meets with a mother and her children for the first time. Both the worker and the resident bring to that encounter their expectations, their life experiences, and their preconceptions of the other. There are, at minimum, three things that workers need to be mindful of when they work with families and individuals that are homeless: understanding, values, and skills.

One is understanding homelessness and poverty. At the dawn of the twenty-first century, an individual's homelessness occurs in the context of policies, economic realities, and societal trends.

Work with families and individuals also is based on values. Our values (and those of our agencies) influence the approaches we use, the ways we treat and talk with people. Six values that are important are:

Focusing on the person, "not the homeless person"
Treating the residents/clients with dignity and respect
Being nonjudgmental
Paying attention to and building on strength
Encouraging hope and dreams
Assisting, not doing for

Skills are essential. Understanding and an appropriate value base matter little if our work is not effective. Skills are presented in helping clients plan for the future, integrating service provision and advocacy, and parenting while homeless. Central to all of these is clear communication.

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About Us Helping Clients Plan for the Future Advocacy and Service Provision Parenting while Homeless Starting Points in Working with People who are Homeless Perspectives on Shelter Life from Residents and Staff Sharing Expertise and Question Future Plans for the Website Related Links Site Index Contact Us Home

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Website Created by Tapan Shah for Jim Winship and Social Work Department, UW-Whitewater. For comments: Contact homewords@uww.edu All material Copyright © 2000 by Tapan Shah and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. All rights reserved
Last Updated March 16, 2001