title: Social and recovery capital amongst homeless hostel residents who use drugs and alcohol.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Homeless people who use drugs and alcohol have been described as one of the most marginalised groups in society. In this paper, we explore the relationships of homeless drug and alcohol users who live in hostels in order to ascertain the nature and extent of their social and recovery capital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected during 2013 and 2014 from three hostels. Each hostel was in a different English city and varied in size and organisational structure. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 residents (21 men; 9 women) who self-reported current drink and/or drug problems. Follow-up interviews were completed after 4-6 weeks with 22 residents (16 men; 6 women). Audio recordings of all interviews were transcribed verbatim, systematically coded and analysed using Framework.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants' main relationships involved family members, professionals, other hostel residents, friends outside of hostels, current and former partners, and enemies. Social networks were relatively small, but based on diverse forms of, often reciprocal, practical and emotional support, encompassing protection, companionship, and love. The extent to which participants' contacts provided a stable source of social capital over time was, nonetheless, uncertain. Hostel residents who used drugs and alcohol welcomed and valued interaction with, and assistance from, hostel staff; women appeared to have larger social networks than men; and hostels varied in the level of enmity between residents and antipathy towards staff.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Homeless hostel residents who use drugs and alcohol have various opportunities for building social capital that can in turn foster recovery capital. Therapies that focus on promoting positive social networks amongst people experiencing addiction seem to offer a valuable way of working with homeless hostel residents who use drugs and alcohol. Gains are, however, likely to be maximised where hostel management and staff are supportive of, and actively engage with, therapy delivery.
authors.affiliation: Addictions Department, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, 4 Windsor Walk, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF, UK; Centre for Social Research in Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
authors.forename: Joanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Neale
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Social Work and Public Health, Oxford Brookes University, Jack Straws Lane, Marston, Oxford OX3 0FL, UK. Electronic address: cstevenson@brookes.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Caral
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stevenson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D066270:Social Capital; D012944:Social Support; D016320:Substance Abuse Treatment Centers / Q000379:methods*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Drug and alcohol; England; Homelessness; Qualitative research; Recovery capital; Social capital; Social networks