The lived experience of being a homeless college student: a qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis (QIMS)

ABSTRACT Heightened awareness that college students are facing homelessness points to the need for more research on this vulnerable subpopulation of emerging adults. The study, which draws on the social inequalities framework, uses qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis (QIMS) to develop a comprehensive understanding of the lived experience of college students who are homeless. The sample consisted of 60 college students among seven studies. The QIMS revealed four themes, including Trauma, Priority Hierarchy, Homeless (situational) Identity, and Resilience. Definition recommendations are proposed and policy and practice implications discussed.