Dying Homeless but Not Alone: Social Support Roles of Staff Members in Homeless Shelters

Abstract

This article provides an integrated examination of the process of death among the homeless and the integral role that shelter staff and residents play in this process. Several brief case studies illustrate a variety of ways in which shelter staff and friends who provide support networks in the final stages of life often are excluded by families and others from the rites and rituals of death. The authors suggest that the reliance of homeless people on support networks composed of shelter staff and residents, combined with the lack of legitimacy accorded to these associates, produces excessive strain and blocks opportunity for normal grieving. The article emphasizes the fact that few communities or social service providers are ensuring that staff and residents are given training and counseling to prepare them to deal effectively with such strain.