Action Research Approach
Homelessness has been denoted as a problem affecting over 140,000 veterans every year, whereby, 60,000 lack a place to sleep every night. More so, majority of the homeless veterans are male’s returning from the service with wounds and scars, which attribute to mental illnesses such as those related to substance abuse, PTSD, anxiety, and depression, among other disorders (SPRINT, 2008). Since this research aims at looking at homeless veterans and how mental illnesses contribute to this problem and the main obstacles that the veterans face in the finding and the maintenance of a secure housing, this research is designed to find the solution to this problem.
In data collection strategies, this research aims to engage the survey action where the veteran communities will be observed to measure the extent of the problem. Secondly, there will be interviews incorporated into this project where the research aims at recording the voices of the veterans. The interviews will extend to the doctors and the partisans concerned with the project. Interviews are bound to configure better relations with the different veterans and therefore, give a chance to acquire the proper information which can be acted upon (Boyle, 2012).
The other method to collect data will be to conduct an orientation for all the specialists such as the mental health doctors involved in their care. They will also be advised on aspects to look for while dealing with the affected groups. This information will help determine the main causes of the veteran homelessness and thus employ an approach towards dealing with the problem.
This research intends to create change by working in collaboration with communities and providing a framework for the veteran homeless community to gain the expertise and resources indispensable to assess their health and own homes through the establishment of the right tools to mitigate the problem (Capacity4dev.edu, 2015).
Recruitment of Community Participants and Partners
Relating to the theory by Paulo Freire, who integrated educational practice with liberation from oppressive conditions; his work accentuated dialogue in strengthening the people’s consciousness. Therefore, this research will engage the recruitment and training of the people to be involved in this research work. The advocates for this project will be the veteran community members who are the primary focus of the project.
Secondly, the recruitment will involve the mental doctors who will be dealing with the mental illnesses from the affected veterans. These doctors will give their insight and provide the opportunities to better deal with the veterans. The doctors will also provide assessments regarding the progress of the veteran’s health and how that relates to their homelessness (BOUTILIER, 1997).
Also, in an effort to curb the homelessness, the project recruitment stages will engage the community members such as the stakeholders in the private or public housing organizations who will take charge on matters regarding homelessness and give the processes and procedures on housing statistics. This project will also recruit several citizens who will ensure that matters regarding research within the community involves their concern whereby, they can distribute, empower or reinforce the necessity of the action plan (American Psychological Association, 2017).
Community Needs Assessment
Community needs assessment will entail focus groups which will maintain the project on the course. These groups will aim to measure the extent of the homeless veterans within the geographical area. Measuring this will be through the involvement of the community members who will acquire the data on homelessness among the veterans. The focus groups will convene the surveys to ensure that all areas affected are covered and data collected. These groups will consider the lifestyle, behavior, and other related matters to the veterans and how they make their decisions that may lead them to lose their homes (Zlotnik, 2013).
Secondly, the research will engage data collection tools such as interviews which will aim to discover more about the way the veterans maintain their budgets, build relationships, and contribute to their health. Among the many causes instigated by previous research, budgeting, and the lack of it, mean that the veterans can manage or mismanage their money. The paramount goal of the interview is indorsing change by converging on changing the individual lifestyles and behaviors to mobilizing the veteran economic implication to eliminate characteristics of the unsound running of their budgets (Zlotnik, 2013).
Community Planning and Capacity Building
For this phase, the project will engage the promotion strategies towards achieving cohesion, empowerment, and advance the issue of concern in the community. The framework will involve incorporation of new technology to reach the different members of the society. The aim is to distribute the information as widely as conceivable and enhance a connection towards attaining the target. This not only empowers the people to turn out in large numbers, but also promote the chances of acquiring crucial information.
Analytic Approach and Methods
The success of this action plan mainly forms around policy change or development. The process through the control of the particular parties, rather than solely assessing whether or not an action was successfully planned, this community action model valuation methodology assesses both the drawing of the project and its intended consequences. The criteria, therefore, follows the approach of assessing the outcomes only after the right processes are followed regarding dealing with the veteran community members.
First, the data will be coded to resemble similar or closely related option. The advocates will then analyze the data collected using the data software such as Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) mainly for survey, qualitative and quantitative data and Statistical Analysis System (SAS) for both qualitative and quantitative, (Crossman, 2017). In the healthcare case, veterans with the same issues such as violence, divorce cases, accelerated behavior and so forth, will form one group in which the data will be coded, veterans with other mental cases and have similar issues, will have a different coding.
Quality Control and Evaluation
Since a worthwhile evaluation depends on credibility which relies on transparency of the process and the quality of the evaluation, to strengthen the validity and quality of the overall research, this project aims at focusing on the references and experts of this project. These will include all qualified and relevant specialists at different levels within the society. Dissemination of the information and information acquired, which in this case, utilizes current technology for faster, effective and efficient reach to the community, is key to the success of this research. More crucial, is the expected feedback. The expected feedback will ensure 90% of the veterans will be covered while the remaining 10%, will focus on the other homeless members of the society. This will ensure that the main participants are heard while also compared to their counterparts.
Therefore, with this in mind, all specialists involved are expected to provide their own specialty within their fields of expertise, collect data, disseminate information and finally give advice regarding the condition of homelessness within Washington, on how the problem can be mitigated. This research will utilize a participatory evaluation research method. Therefore, this project will aim at garnering and involving credible sources to contribute through a collaboration between the different factors that revolve around the veterans and the reasons that render them homeless. It will be important to utilize each credible source based on their specialty and knowledge of each research step utilized. By doing this, this project will assure quality and credibility (USAID, 2015).
Ethical Considerations
The research will seek for mental health patients’ caregivers or guardian’s permission to include the mentally challenged within the study; more so, the homeless veterans who are not mentally challenged and can prove to make their own decisions will be asked to participate in the study. More so, since every individual has the right to privacy, this project aims at formulating measures that will ensure that the individuals do not regret having shared their stories. This project will take steps to guarantee that whatever the stakeholders share, will not be discussed without their consent and approval. The individual veterans will enjoy free and fair-grounds to share their stories and the information recorded in their direction. This information, however, remains confidential, and no one apart from the advocates will know the names, views or stories of the veterans in specific. The materials when accessed and reported, will encompass a generalization of the community of homeless veterans but not mention any names of the respondent veterans.
Emergent ethical implications that may arise during the study period will receive swift, reliable, and attentive handling. All issues regarding the sensitivity of veteran dealings will be referred to the specialists. Specialists are known to maintain their ethical standards within their professions, and therefore, any ethical cases will be referred to the specific specialist. This will mitigate any chances of unhealthy dealing. This project aims at sharing the sentiments of the community homeless veterans who cannot share a bed for a night; therefore, the focus is benefiting the community through eradicating negative environmental characteristics such as homelessness among the veterans (Boyle, 2012)
Lastly, the economic costs, budgeting and the approximate cost of the different processes throughout the research period, are given to a maximum of $3000 worth all the expenses from individual gifting, food and accommodation, purchases, permits, and so forth. Thus, the project aims at a successful completion as the risks are minimized to produce the best results for the community.
Dissemination of Information and Community Learning
Information dissemination for this project will involve the distribution of resources that give access to the most people within the society. The information sites include the social media which has become so prevalent in the society and conveys the messages fast. Through this technology, different members will achieve a closure as privacy will be enhanced, and no one will access other’s confidential matters without one’s consent. This means that only the shared information will be accessible by the public, through the internet, publications and prints like magazines, recorded video and audio platforms, and finally the verbal basis (American Psychological Association, 2017)
Sharing the gathered information, although not directly from the participants, will mean that the project is on the verge to improve the society through problem resolution methods. All information is distributed through the right channels and in the correct manner. The chief’s, mayor, health and veteran head offices will also shelf the information regarding this project research action. Thus, reference is maintained with the relevant authoritative bodies of the society where the public can easily access.
Project Significance
The paramount motive is enhanced to involve a virtuous research plan and ultimately a successful community action. The objectives of this project aim at encompassing and incorporating the different members of the society to take part in this research. The members will range from those considered as adults and can make their own decisions, the working class, politicians, and children through the consent of their parents and finally those abled differently. The involvement of all these members will mean a different background from which can hail success and more empowerment from the diversity of the community. Therefore, this research takes significance to ensure that an integrated model of support and treatment is adopted to assist the veterans who are homeless and suffering from mental illnesses receives the necessary medication and get a dwelling place. Homelessness amongst the veterans is not a fresh issue as it has been going on for decades. The project thus shares in taking a step in achieving the vision change for the homeless veterans.
References
American Psychological Association. (2017). Retrieved from APA’s commitment to the military community and veterans’ communities: http://www.apa.org/monitor/2013/04/pc.aspx
BOUTILIER, M. (1997). HEALTH PROMOTION INTERNATIONAL. Community action and re£ective practice in health, 12(No.1). Retrieved 2017, from Community action and re£ective practice in health: https://oup.silverchair-cdn.com/oup/backfile/Content_public/Journal/heapro/12/1/10.1093_heapro_12.1.69/3/12-1-69.pdf?Expires=1509151772&Signature=adhGyvmPGsPOGSrvqpjaWno-b0KXHThxZVSNEZ3TZnh4soa-D~X-RpMUtA7jl35MqYSRokqS-ZVlqv~dlTsMyt8JGm5OI7FqaNA7lIadEHlUj
Boyle, M. (2012). Australian Government; Department of Families, Housing, Community Services, Retrieved from Research in Action: A Guide to Best Practice in Participatory Action Research: https://www.dss.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/06_2012/research_in_action.pdf
Capacity4dev.edu. (2015). Retrieved from Evaluation methodological approach: https://europa.eu/capacity4dev/evaluation_guidelines/minisite/en-geographic-thematic-and-other-complex-evaluations/synthesis-phase-3/quality-control-eval
Crossman, A. (2017). ThoughtCo. Retrieved from A Review of Software Tools for Quantitative Data Analysis: https://www.thoughtco.com/quantitative-analysis-software-review-3026539
SPRINT. (2008). SPRINT Methodologies. Retrieved from EMPOWERMENT AND INVOLVEMENT: http://www.managingbydesign.net/SPRINT/pagesb27c.html?id=69
USAID. (2015). MEASURE Evaluation by United States Agency for International Development. Retrieved from Quality Assurance Approach: https://www.measureevaluation.org/prh/rh_indicators/service-delivery/quality-of-care/quality-assurance-approach.html
Zlotnik, J. L. (2013). National Association of Social Workers. Retrieved from ENHANCING THE WELL-BEING OF AMERICA’S VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES: A CALL TO ACTION FOR A NATIONAL VETERANS POLICY: http://cir.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/SWPI-RPT-15914.VeteransLo.pdf