Honours Proposal Presentation
Sunday, 18 March 2012
The School of Law and Justice invites you to an Honours Proposal presentation by Catherine Timms:
Homelessness and resiliency: An examination of coping mechanisms amongst WA's homeless
Homelessness is becoming increasingly common within the Western world (Hwang, Kirst, Chiu, Tolomiczenko, Kiss, Cowan & Levinson, 2009). Within Western Australia, approximately 13,391 are homeless every night, with estimates that 62% of these individuals are under the age of 32 (Chamberlain & Mackenzie, 2009).
As researchers from around the world have noted, the survival of these individuals in the face of homelessness is remarkable, particularly in light of the stressors they are exposed to within their lives (Bao, Whitbeck & Hoyt, 2000; Votta & Manion, 2004). These stressors include poverty, exposure to violence and crime, a nomadic existence, lack of family support, mental health issues, drug and alcohol abuse issues and limited access to basic human needs such as food and shelter (Busen & Engebretson, 2008; Ferguson & Xie, 2007; Johnson, Whitbeck & Hoyt, 2005).
Whilst homeless literature has examined the nature of resiliency, or the process of coping with stress and adversity, amongst homeless populations in various global locations there is currently a paucity of research concerning coping mechanisms employed by homeless individuals from within an Australian context. The proposed research aims to conduct research into urban homeless individuals within the Perth metropolitan district. This research aims to incorporate the views of homeless individuals, utilising a strength-based approach to provide a deeper understanding of the stressors that homeless individuals face and the coping mechanisms they employ to overcome these difficulties.
Supervisor: Dr Karine Hamilton
Date: Friday 8th June
Time: 12:15 - 1:15pm
Location: Joondalup campus, building 2, room 443.
For more information contact Bev Lurie, or phone (08) 6304 5237.