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Journal Article Review 1
Purpose of the Article
Family homelessness is a real possibility when people in the family are having trouble
meeting their basic needs. It is essential, and getting these people the help they need might be
hard. As the family tries to get enough help to avoid living in a shelter or losing their house, this
may also stress their support system. Shelter programs for people experiencing homelessness are
a short-term way to help families get the tools and services they need to get back on their feet.
These kinds of research projects are essential because they help us understand and meet the basic
needs of homeless people.
In detail, the article in question looks at how twenty-eight homeless families living in a
shelter build and keep supportive relationships. (Craig-Cook & Koehly, 2011).
Research Questions
While going through a faith-based housing program, the social support networks of
mothers of homeless families change, according to a study by Craig-Cook and Koehly (2011).
The study mainly looked at two types of support: the official support network and the casual
support network of family (before and after homelessness). The study aimed to answer three
questions: (1) How do the social support networks of mothers of homeless families change as
they enter, move through, and exit a faith-based shelter program? (2) What characteristics of the
social support of the mothers of homeless families predict stable network relations? Furthermore,
(3) What effect do changes in the social support networks of adults in homeless families have on
the housing status and financial well-being of mothers of homeless families as they enter, move
through, and exit the shelter program? This is to understand supportive ties better, research their
stability, the formal support network's role, and research methods.
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Methods
This study used a delayed prospective, multiple-group strategy to get information from
subjects at different times. This study aimed to examine how moms' ego-centered support
networks changed as they moved through the program and period-related treatments. Ego-
centered networks show how people are connected and interact with those in the network who
help them. The changes in each respondent's ego-centered network were looked at every week.
The idea behind this method comes from earlier research that shows how relationships change
over time in the support networks of people who are homeless. In an urban area of the Southeast,
mothers of families living in homes run by interfaith groups that help homeless families were
part of the study. Four to six families usually take part in this kind of event. In return for $5 a
week for six and a half months, 28 moms agreed to participate in the study. During the monthly
interviews, the subjects filled out surveys. People were asked to give the names of people who
had given them physical, financial, or spiritual help in the past week. According to the study, the
subjects got the same kind of help throughout their stay at the shelter, whether official or
informal. The subjects were given outside help during their stay, which differs from
disaffiliation. Formal help could have been a better indicator of leaving a shelter permanently or
having enough money (Craig-Cook & Koehly, 2011).
Two Key Findings
Seventeen of the twenty-eight women who participated in the study were African
American. Each woman had an average of 1.8 children; the oldest was 27.5 years old. Some
families (64.3%) lived in unsafe conditions before coming to the shelter program. 53.6% of the
families who were in the shelter program for seven weeks could find safe housing before they
had to leave. Based on the study, half of the women who joined the program could not make
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money afterward, while the other half completed an average of $996 monthly. Only six families
that left the shelter still needed a way to make money, and those who did get jobs made an
average of $1,230 a month. A total of 15.46 people supported the women during the program,
and the study found that formal and informal types of support were statistically the same. The
disaffiliation point had to be fixed since they said they could get help from outside sources
during their stay. Furthermore, the information is needed to support the notion that getting legal
help will lead to better living and financial security once you leave the shelter. (Craig-Cook &
Koehly, 2011).
Two Concepts
The information in this study is beneficial for family social workers and could
significantly improve the housing services they offer to single parents who are homeless. In
particular, the study shows what the moms in these families want and need, as well as their
casual support system of friends and family who live nearby. Shelters and professionals working
with families need to know that informal support networks can offer more emotional, material,
and human help than official networks (Craig-Cook & Koehly, 2011). Because of this, we might
be able to help homeless moms stay connected to their support networks by making or growing a
loose circle of support within shelters. For now, it is unclear how this method would work in
long-term programs for homeless families living in shelters, but this study gives us a good
starting point, and I believe it can improve these families' daily lives.
Question
My goal is to inquire about the working conditions with social professionals. To be more
specific, this study prompts two questions: To begin, what role does the family's network of
contacts play when one member is homeless and the others are unaware that a loved one is
