The phenomenology of single mothers transitioning from homelessness to independent living

Scope and Method of Study. Research is growing in the area of family homelessness, much of which centers around the homeless mother; yet we know little about her phenomenological "life world" experiences. The present study addressed this gap using interviews and observations of mothers living in a transitional residence for homeless families. The phenomenological nature of this investigation gave the researcher access to diverse, intimate personal histories with one common thread -- all mothers had experienced homelessness and were actively working toward self-sufficiency.;Findings and Conclusions. Overall, the women perceived their childhood experiences, which were colored by abuse and poor relationships, to influence how they viewed themselves and functioned as adults. Resulting themes indicate participants' past family relationships, particularly with their maternal figure, systemically affect their current family situations and continue to influence each woman's sense of identity, ability to create and maintain healthy boundaries, and parenting perspectives and behaviors. The transitional program director also identified these issues as barriers to families' success in the program. To make the transition to independent living, each woman must first address past family relationships while differentiating her personal identity from those experiences. If self-differentiation and acceptance is not achieved, each mother will continue cycling her family between transience and transition, without ever reaching self-sufficiency. Results from this study create a new discussion about what can be done to help homeless mothers rebound from their own personal horrors and extreme depths of poverty to become healthy and self-sufficient parents.