Housed but Homeless? Negotiating Everyday Life in a Shared Housing Program

Abstract

This article discusses the challenges associated with what has become a common approach to the rehousing of “hard to house” groups–-shared housing models. The researcher collected and analyzed data from participants living in 2 shared housing programs for formerly homeless people in Toronto, Canada, who were on the verge of being evicted from their apartments. Findings illuminated participants’ pathways to homelessness and other related experiences during multiple episodes of homelessness, the negotiations they made to continue living in their current shared housing program, factors that jeopardized their housing stability, and the resources they utilized to stay housed. Findings underscore the need for a multidimensional approach to the provision of housing and for related support services that address recurrent homelessness.