The Impact of Homelessness and Shelter Life on Family Relationships

This study explored mothers' perceptions of how homelessness and shelter life affected family relationships. Participants re-ported increased closeness and heightened quality and quantity of interaction with their children, but a disruption in their roles as disciplinarians and providers/caretakers. Factors which mothers perceived to affect relationships were shelter conditions (rules and interactions with staff and residents), the mother's emotional state, and the child's emotional state, temperament, and behavior Implications for practice are suggested.