Formerly Homeless Residents of San Diego’s SROs Use Photovoice to Describe Their Living Experiences
Residents of single room occupancy units (SROs) in San Diego, California, USA who were formerly homeless employed Photovoice (Wang & Burris, 1997) to describe how they feel about their current living situations and were then interviewed about this experience as well as the significance of the im...
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Western Libraries, The University of Western Ontario
2025-03-01
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| Series: | International Journal on Homelessness |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/ijoh/article/view/19790 |
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| Summary: | Residents of single room occupancy units (SROs) in San Diego, California, USA who were formerly homeless employed Photovoice (Wang & Burris, 1997) to describe how they feel about their current living situations and were then interviewed about this experience as well as the significance of the images they captured. A visual critical ethnographic approach (Bloomberg & Volpe, 2016; Peattie, 2022) was used to analyze interview transcripts from 14 participants. Interviews revealed three primary themes related to the images themselves: Photovoice allowed participants to produce liberatory insights about their housing and themselves; visually documenting aspects of their living spaces enabled participants to critically analyze housing management systems; and engaging in photography allowed participants to reflect on pivotal moments in their life journeys. Interviews additionally revealed three themes related to engagement with Photovoice: Photovoice empowered participants to create emancipatory narratives; inspired civic engagement; and provided a therapeutic means of communication. This study lends credence to Photovoice as a tool of empowerment and offers valuable information for providers and policymakers in their quest to design more supportive and affirming assistance for individuals re-entering housing through SROs. |
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| ISSN: | 2564-310X |