"It's certainly someone's job": The roles of health care providers in homelessness prevention
Abstract
Comprehensive strategies to end all homelessness must include prevention-focused approaches in addition to the provision of emergency services and responsive housing programs. This qualitative descriptive study examines nurse practitioners’ and physicians’ perceptions of their roles in homelessness prevention and their current involvement in prevention-oriented activities. Data from interviews with health care providers was analyzed using a blended inductive and deductive approach, guided by a Framework for Homelessness Prevention and findings from a document analysis. The results highlighted health care providers’ conceptualizations of poverty, housing instability, and associated risk factors and found that providers consider information about patients’ social and economic issues, including housing instability, for the ‘purpose’ of care and to contextualize medical care and treatment plans. Findings suggest that providers feel they share responsibility for homelessness prevention with other health professionals. Still, there remain opportunities for physicians and nurse practitioners to be involved at all levels of change.