Home visiting for families without a home: findings from a qualitative study

Abstract

Although families with young children experiencing homelessness could potentially benefit from early childhood home visiting services, those families have traditionally been underserved by home visiting programs. This qualitative descriptive study is part of a large formative evaluation of the Home Visiting for Homeless Families project, which aims to remove barriers to delivering home visiting services to families experiencing homelessness and make home visiting more responsive to those families’ needs. We interviewed 17 home visitors, 12 home visitor supervisors, and 14 mothers who received home visiting services. Although home visitors did modify some aspects of service delivery, they did not take full advantage of the project’s flexibilities and continued to face challenges in supporting families experiencing homelessness. Home visitors found it difficult to focus on doing the job they were trained to do when families were struggling to meet their basic needs and expressed a desire for training that would equip them to help families with their housing. Mothers deeply appreciated the emotional, informational, and instrumental support their home visitors provided, as well as the ways their home visitors helped them become better parents. Our findings suggest that to fully benefit from home visiting services, families with young children need stable housing and coordinated care.