Purpose: This study sought deeper understanding of how sheltered families accessed and mobilized educationally related relationships and resources during periods of homelessness. Such work is posited to be especially relevant considering that there is a growing crisis of family homelessness in the United States and school- and community-based leaders need to develop more nuanced understandings of how to meet their needs. Research Design: The study was situated in a large urban region in the eastern United States, and data were collected through surveys of 151 sheltered homeless mothers, focus group interviews with 51 homeless mothers, and analysis of a countywide homeless management information system. Data analysis was informed by Lin’s network theory of social capital, which, among other relational issues, purposefully considers embedded resources, resource accessibility, and resource mobilization. Findings: The findings revealed several significant obstacles to homeless families’ access to and mobilization of network relationships and resources. Amid these challenges, however, the leaders and structures of residential homeless serving agencies appear to play key roles in helping families develop new opportunities. Conclusions: It is suggested that shelters develop programs and philosophies of action that are consonant with their service capacities and locations. Furthermore, shelter, school, and community leaders are urged to construct systems of collaborative understanding and practice. Finally, several suggestions for future research are presented.
AnooshianL. J. (2003). Social isolation and rejection of homeless children. Journal of Children & Poverty, 9, 115.
2.
AnooshianL. (2005). Violence and aggression in the lives of homeless children. Journal of Family Violence, 20, 373-387.
3.
BarwickM. A.SiegelL. S. (1996). Learning difficulties in adolescent clients of a shelter for runaway and homeless street youths. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 6, 649-670.
4.
BourdieuP. (1985). The forms of capital. In RichardsonJ. G. (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241-258). New York, NY: Greenwood.
5.
BowmanD.BarksdaleK. (2004). Increasing school stability for students experiencing homelessness: Overcoming challenges to providing transportation to the school of origin. Greensboro, NC: National Center for Homeless Education at the SERVE Center.
6.
BrassD. J.GalaskiewiczJ.GreveH. R.TsaiW. (2004). Taking stocks of networks and organizations: A multilevel perspective. Academy of Management Journal, 47, 795-817.
7.
BucknerJ. C.BassukE. L. (1999). Homelessness and its relation to the mental health and behavior of low-income school-age children. Developmental Psychology, 35, 246-257.
8.
BurtR. S. (1992). Structural holes: The social structure of competition. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
9.
ColemanJ. S. (1988). Social capital in the creation of human capital. American Journal of Sociology, 94, 95-120.
10.
CosdenM.MorrisonG.AlbaneseA. L.MaciasS. (2001). When homework is not homework: After-school programs for homework assistance. Theory into Practice, 43, 220-226.
11.
CreswellJ. (1998). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among the five approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
12.
DalyA. J.FinniganK. S. (2010). A bridge between worlds: Understanding network structure to understand change strategy. Journal of Educational Change, 11, 111-138.
13.
DalyA. J.FinniganK. S. (2011). The ebb and flow of social network ties between district leaders under high stakes accountability. American Educational Research Journal, 48, 39-79.
14.
DalyA. J.MoolenaarN. M.BolivarJ. M.BurkeP. (2010). Relationships in reform: The role of teachers’ social networks. Journal of Educational Administration, 48, 359-391.
15.
DuffieldB.LovellP. (2008). The economic crisis hits home: The unfolding increase in child & youth homelessness. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth.
16.
FantuzzoJ.PerlmanS. (2007). The unique impact of out-of-home placement and the mediating effects of child maltreatment and homelessness on early school success. Children & Youth Services Review, 29, 941-960.
17.
FriedkinN. E.SlaterM. S. (1994). School leadership and performance: A social network approach. Sociology of Education, 67, 139-157.
18.
GewirtzA.Hart-ShegosE.MedhanieA. (2008). Psychosocial status of homeless children and youth in family supportive housing. American Behavioral Scientist, 51, 810-823.
19.
GoddardR. D. (2003). Relational networks, social trust, and norms: A social capital perspective on students’ chances of academic success. Education Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 25, 59-74.
20.
GranovetterM. (1973). The strength of weak ties. American Journal of Sociology, 91, 481-510.
21.
GreeleyA. (1997). Coleman revisited: Religious structures as a source of social capital. American Behavioral Scientist, 40, 587-594.
22.
HelfrichC. A.BeerD. W. (2007). Use of the FirstSTEp screening tool with children exposed to domestic violence and homelessness: A group case study. Physical & Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics, 27(2), 63-76.
23.
HirschB. (2005). A place to call home: After-school programs for urban youth. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
24.
HubermanA. M.MilesM. B. (1998). Data management and analysis methods. In DenzinN. K.LincolnY. S. (Eds.), Strategies of qualitative inquiry (pp. 179-210). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
25.
HuntingtonN.BucknerJ. C.BassukE. L. (2008). Adaptation in homeless children: An empirical examination using cluster analysis. American Behavioral Scientist, 51, 737-755.
26.
KennedyA. C. (2007). Homelessness, violence exposure, and school participation among urban adolescent mothers. Journal of Community Psychology, 35, 639-654.
27.
LeeV. E.CroningerR. C. (1994). The relative importance of home and school in the development of literacy skills for middle-grade students. American Journal of Education, 102, 286-329.
28.
LinN. (1999). Building a network theory of social capital. Connections, 22, 28-51.
29.
LinN. (2000). Inequality in social capital. Contemporary Sociology, 29, 785-795.
30.
LivelyK. L.KleineP. F. (1996). The school as a tool for survival of homeless children. New York, NY: Garland.
31.
MarshallG.BurnamM.KoegelP.Sullivan-GreerB. (1996). Objective life circumstances and life satisfaction: Results from the course of homelessness study. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 37, 44-58.
32.
MastenA. S.SesmaA.Jr.Si-AsarR. (1997). Educational risks for children experiencing homelessness. Journal of School Psychology, 35, 27-46.
33.
MickelsonR. A.YonM. G. (1994). The motivation of homeless children. International Journal of Social Education, 9, 28-45.
34.
MillerP. (2008a). Examining boundary spanning leaders in community contexts. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 11(4), 353-377.
35.
MillerP. (2008b). Mandating the distribution of leadership practice: An analysis of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. Paper presented at University Council on Educational Administration Annual Conference, Orlando, FL, October 30-November 2.
36.
MillerP.HafnerM. (2008c). Moving toward dialogical collaboration: A critical examination of a university-school-community partnership. Educational Administration Quarterly, 44(1), 66-110.
37.
MillerP. (2008d). Collaborating and distributing leadership to serve students who are homeless. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New York.
38.
MillerP. (2009a). Boundary spanning in the homeless education situation: Notes from an emergent faculty role in Pittsburgh. Educational Administration Quarterly, 45(4), 616-630.
39.
MillerP. (2009b). Leadership practice in service of homeless students: An examination of community perceptions. The Urban Review, 41(3), 222-250.
40.
NaborsL.SumajinI.ZinsJ.RofeyD.BerberichD.BrownS.WeistM. (2003). Evaluation of an intervention for children experiencing homelessness. Child & Youth Care Forum, 32, 211.
41.
National Coalition for the Homeless. (2009). Foreclosure to homelessness 2009: The forgotten victims of the subprime crisis. A joint report from the National Coalition for the Homeless, the National Health Care for the Homeless Council, the National Alliance to End Homelessness, the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth, the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, the National Low Income Housing Coalition, and the National Policy and Advocacy Council on Homelessness. Washington, DC: Author.
42.
National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty. (2007). Homelessness in the United States and the human right to housing. Washington, DC: Author.
43.
ObradovićJ.LongJ. D.CutuliJ. J.ChanC.-K.HinzE.HeistadD.MastenA. S. (2009). Academic achievement of homeless and highly mobile children in an urban school district: Longitudinal evidence on risk, growth, and resilience. Development & Psychopathology, 21, 493-518.
44.
PenuelW.RielM.KrauseA.FrankK. (2009). Analyzing teachers’ professional interactions in a school as social capital: A social network approach. Teachers College Record, 111, 124-163.
45.
PortesA. (1998). Social capital: Its origins and applications in modern sociology. Annual Review of Sociology, 24, 1-24.
46.
PosnerJ. K.VandellD. L. (1999). After-school activities and the development of low-income urban children: A longitudinal study. Developmental Psychology, 35, 868-879.
47.
PutnamR. D. (1995). Bowling alone: America’s declining social capital. Journal of Democracy, 6, 65-78.
48.
RaffertyY.ShinnM.WeitzmanB. C. (2004). Academic achievement among formerly homeless adolescents and their continuously housed peers. Journal of School Psychology, 42, 179-199.
49.
RumbautR. (1997). Ties that bind: Immigration and immigrant families in the United States. In BoothA.CrouterA. C.LandaleN. S. (Eds.), Immigration and the family: Research and policy on U.S. immigrants (pp. 3-46). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
50.
Stanton-SalazarR. (1997). A social capital framework for understanding the socialization of racial minority children and youths. Harvard Educational Review, 67, 1-39.
51.
StrongeJ. H. (2000). Educating homeless children and youth: An introduction. In StrongeJ. H.Reed-VictorE. (Eds.), Educating homeless students: Promising practices (pp. 1-20). Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.
ZimaB. T.BussingR.FornessS. R.BenjaminB. (1997). Sheltered homeless children: Their eligibility and unmet need for special education evaluations. American Journal of Public Health, 87, 236-240.
