The meaning of family routines in a homeless shelter.
OBJECTIVE
This exploratory investigation sought to understand what meaning parents, living in a homeless shelter, attribute to family routines and the nature of those routines.


METHODS
In-depth interviews were conducted with 12 parents living in a homeless shelter. Thematic analysis was employed to develop descriptive codes and themes from transcribed data and field notes.


RESULTS
Parents described family routines focused on three features: promoting intimacy, maintaining or developing a legacy, and connections with the community. These routines seemed to preserve family integrity while homeless and to provide hope for the family to continue into the future.


CONCLUSIONS
Homeless parents, in this investigation, seemed to expend a substantial amount of energy to create or maintain family routines while living in a homeless shelter. Findings suggest that occupational therapy services may help support homeless parents as they exercise their role as the organizer of family routines.
Occupational Therapy Department, San Jose State University, One Washington Square, San Jose, California 95192-0059, USA. winifred@email.sjsu.edu
Winifred
W
Schultz-Krohn
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005190:Family; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons / Q000523:psychology; D018453:Homeless Youth; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009788:Occupational Therapy; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D016487:Parenting; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires