Understanding, Supporting and Skillfully Interfacing with Unhoused Individuals: Strategies for Non-Mental Health Workers Engaging with Unhoused Communities

Date of Award

Spring 6-13-2025

Document Type

Doctoral Research Paper

Degree Name

Psy.D.

Organizational Unit

Graduate School of Professional Psychology

First Advisor

Lavita Nadkarni

Second Advisor

Lou Felipe

Third Advisor

Loraine Fishman

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

All Rights Reserved
All Rights Reserved.

Keywords

Unhoused individuals, Trauma, Vicarious trauma

Abstract

This paper explores the urgent need for trauma-informed, empathetic engagement strategies and vicarious trauma prevention approaches among non-mental health professionals who frequently interact with unhoused individuals. Homelessness is often publicly framed as an individual failure, reinforced by persistent myths that unhoused individuals are lazy and dangerous. This paper highlights homelessness's systemic roots in colonialism, racialized poverty, housing policy, and long-term social neglect. The paper speaks to the intersecting nature of trauma, mental illness, and substance use within homeless populations, emphasizing their bi-directional relationship. It further examines how stigma and dehumanization negatively impact public perception, informing harmful policies, reinforcing barriers to care, and fueling unsafe or ineffective frontline interactions. Non-clinicians—such as librarians, public transit workers, and business employees—are increasingly required to navigate these complex dynamics without adequate training or support, resulting in an elevated risk of burnout, compassion fatigue, and vicarious trauma. This paper synthesizes relevant literature to develop a psychoeducational brochure designed to equip non-clinical workers with practical tools for de-escalation, emotional regulation, and vicarious trauma prevention. The goal of this project is to promote sustainable and compassionate engagement with unhoused individuals that prioritizes their humanity while protecting the well-being of those interacting with them. While not a solution to homelessness, the hope is that this resource contributes to harm reduction by promoting safer and more humane community responses.

Copyright Date

6-18-2025

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. Permanently suppressed.

Rights Holder

Arielle Kahana

Provenance

Received from author

File Format

application/pdf

Language

English (eng)

Extent

65 pgs

File Size

1.2 MB

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