Getting Clean on the Streets: Homeless Women in a Substance Abuse Recovery Program

• In Event: 230 - Regular Session. Homelessness

Abstract

This article presents findings from a 2012 exploratory, qualitative examination of a voluntary intensive outpatient treatment program for homeless women recovering from substance dependence disorders in Central Florida. Semi-structured interviews involved all current program clients (N=7) and some graduates (N=3) of the program. Interviews were conducted to ascertain how clients maintain their sobriety in addition to meeting the unique challenges of being homeless. Based on these interviews, there are four main concerns discussed: lack of communication between service providers, inconsistency in personnel during recovery, inconsistency in relapse policies, and clients feeling ill prepared to live in the “real world” after program completion.

Authors

• Joanna Searle Eisele, University of Central Florida

• Candice S. Campanaro, University of Central Florida

• Andrew Frederick Baird, University of Central Florida