Practice with people experiencing homelessness: an analysis of secondary traumatic stress in the workplace

Abstract

People experiencing homelessness often present to social service providers with trauma histories. As they seek services, their service providers may be secondarily exposed to their clients’ trauma, thereby impacting the level of care these service providers are able to offer. Unfortunately, little research examines the stress burden carried by homelessness service providers, nor the factors that contribute to their stress burden. The purpose of this mixed methods study, therefore, is to characterize the secondary traumatic stress (STS) reported by individuals who provide direct services to people experiencing homelessness, and to explore the workplace experiences that may underlie, influence, or mitigate this stress. The study relies upon a sample of direct service providers and program managers who work with people experiencing homelessness. The authors collected data on STS and workplace stress via a web-based survey (n = 122) and focus group interviews (n = 21). The results of this study suggest that homelessness service providers carry a substantial stress burden. Findings further point towards administrative strategies that may improve service providers’ stress burdens, and potentially improve the service quality provided by agencies serving homeless populations.