Sefcik, Caroline
(2023)
Centering Transgender Voices in Programs and Spaces Addressing Homelessness: A Critical Literature Synthesis.
Master Essay, University of Pittsburgh.
Abstract
Background: Housing is vital to population-level health, and homelessness is a widespread issue with significant public health relevance in the United States (US). People with minoritized identities are more likely to experience homelessness or housing insecurity, including people who identify as transgender or gender nonconforming (TGNC). Centering TGNC individuals’ experiences and perspectives is integral to beginning to address the unique challenges this population faces related to homelessness.
Purpose: This literature synthesis characterizes existing research surrounding the issue of homelessness in TGNC populations, with a focus on solutions-oriented research that includes outcomes and/or firsthand perspectives of TGNC individuals. This review aims to 1) describe the literature on programs, interventions, and service settings aimed at serving TGNC individuals experiencing homelessness in the US; and 2) identify and describe outcomes/measures of import for clients in the context of programs, interventions, and services that serve TGNC individuals experiencing homelessness in the US, based on firsthand perspectives from TGNC individuals.
Methods: A structured literature search was conducted using five electronic academic databases. A screening process was used to identify relevant literature based on defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results were summarized and discussed.
Results: Five articles meeting the inclusion criteria were identified, reviewed, synthesized, and discussed within the broader context of homelessness in TGNC populations. Several themes emerged as meaningful in TGNC individuals’ interactions with homeless programs and service settings, including sense of safety, sense of belonging, power dynamics, contextual factors, and added challenges for TGNC individuals.
Conclusion: This review revealed substantial gaps in the literature, including a lack of interventional and other solutions-focused research, research that focuses on TGNC populations specifically (rather than including them in a broader LGBTQIA+ population), research that focuses
on TGNC adults, research in non-urban, non-liberal settings, and research using a lens of lived experience. Future research should address these gaps in order to better understand and address an issue with great public health significance. In both research and program/service settings,
prioritizing firsthand perspectives of TGNC individuals will contribute to ensuring that public health practitioners acknowledge and support these individuals’ own definitions of wellbeing.
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Details
| Item Type: |
Other Thesis, Dissertation, or Long Paper
(Master Essay)
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| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
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| Contributors: |
| Contribution | Contributors Name | Email | Pitt Username | ORCID  |
|---|
| Committee Member | Hawk, Mary | mary.hawk@pitt.edu | mary.hawk | UNSPECIFIED | | Committee Member | Jacobs, Leah | leahjacobs@pitt.edu | leahjacobs | UNSPECIFIED |
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| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
28 August 2023 |
| Date Type: |
Completion |
| Submission Date: |
11 August 2023 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
63 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
School of Public Health > Behavioral and Community Health Sciences |
| Degree: |
MPH - Master of Public Health |
| Thesis Type: |
Master Essay |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
Housing, Homelessness, Transgender, Gender nonconforming, LGBTQIA+ youth, Homeless services, Shelters |
| Date Deposited: |
28 Aug 2023 20:32 |
| Last Modified: |
28 Aug 2023 20:32 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/45286 |
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