https://researchopenworld.com/latina-and-black-women-narratives-on-the-path-to-homelessness/#

An increasing number of Americans are experiencing homelessness, with the latest count estimating that over one-half million people were living in the street or occupying areas not meant for human occupation in one single night. While a general portrait of the homeless population tends to highlight black or older men, almost 40 percent of the homeless population are now women. Among these are the growing numbers of Latina and Black women. In this manuscript, we present a community based participatory research study approach designed to explore the experiences of Latina and Black women living in skid row Los Angeles, frequently recognized as the “homeless capital. Of the U.S. The finding from the mixed quantitative and qualitative study reveals similarities and salient differences on the factors that the women perceive led them on a path to homelessness. Included in the narratives are how the Black women have learned to navigate various support systems, in contrast to how the Latina women have struggled to gain entry into the system. The women’s narratives present a portrait of structural and cultural inequities, and a need for interdisciplinary and intersectoral collaboration with diverse teams in order to develop programs the serve the needs of these new homeless populations. The findings call for urgent need to address systems of inequity and bias, along with needed policy changes.