Nursing Homelessness Case Study

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I toured the local men’s hostile last week, spending the entire day talking with community outreach workers, volunteers and residents. I was inspired by the different members of the community and their strong ethic towards the advocacy of equity for the vulnerable homeless population. Part of my community public health nursing placement involves advocating for equitable health services for the homeless and it became evident to me as I was reviewing the literature on advocacy in nursing. Throughout this paper I will provide insight into the issue of homelessness in waterloo region, define and dissect advocacy theory, explore the issue of homelessness through the lens of a nurse advocate, provide reflection on how that relates to current nursing practice and how …show more content…
The CMHA describes the four categories of homelessness: “unsheltered, emergency sheltered, provisionally accommodated and at risk of homelessness” (2012). Although it is important to understand that homeless situations happen along a continuum, the issue relating to homelessness is complex; this research will focus on the unsheltered and emergency sheltered categories. In Waterloo Region, it is estimated that 2,726 individuals stayed in emergency shelters while 316 are estimated to be experiencing unsheltered, chronic homelessness (Region of Waterloo, 2017).
There are several complex, interrelating social determinants and risk factors that contribute to homelessness. Social determinants include: unemployment, gentrification, poverty, addictions, lack of support services, prison release, mental illness and vulnerable groups that include race, sexual orientation and disability (RNAO, 2004). Together all these compounding factors put people who are experiencing homelessness at the highest level of vulnerability.
NURSING