Experiences of Homeless African American Women in Post-Katrina New Orleans

As of 2012, an estimated 633,782 individuals or families were homeless in the United States. Despite consistent efforts from the media, service providers, and politicians, homelessness remains an enormous social problem. Hurricane Katrina's effects continue to be experienced 8 years later by the homeless women of New Orleans, who struggle to reclaim some sense of normalcy. The literature indicates that few studies have given voice to the experiences and perspectives of homeless African American women, especially in the wake of a natural disaster. The purpose of this descriptive phenomenological case study, which used human rights and feminist theory as its conceptual framework, was to understand the experiences of homeless African American women. Interview data were collected from a sample of 10 African American homeless women and 2 community leaders using open-ended questions. Interview transcripts were subjected to inductive and deductive coding, and follow-up interviews were scheduled with each participant to verify the trustworthiness of the interview interpretations. Emergent themes revealed that disaster recovery policies are not gender-inclusive in practice, and that the marginalization of minorities continues to occur throughout the disaster recovery process, particularly related to housing needs. These findings can provide federal, state, and local policy leaders with a better understanding of the experiences of African Americans following a natural disaster, which can shape public policies and help vulnerable populations better prepare for future disasters and their aftermath.