Examining the challenges of supporting individual agency to the long-term homeless in later life

Conneely, Jacob Gillespie

dc.contributor.author	Conneely, Jacob Gillespie
dc.date.accessioned	2024-10-10T08:22:36Z
dc.date.available	2024-10-10T08:22:36Z
dc.date.issued	2023-08-06
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10147/643072
dc.description	Supporting individual agency is considered an integral aspect of social reintegration for those who have experienced extreme forms of long-term social exclusion. This is because the concept is inherently linked to personhood. Due to this, the aim of this research was to examine some of the means in which agency both is and needs to be supported for those in high support homeless services who had previously experienced intense forms of social exclusion over an extended period of time. This was done through the scrutinising of both theoretical and practical elements of consideration pertaining to agency. Taking on a multi-disciplinary approach to the theory, agency was analysed through the lens of psychology, sociology and philosophy. This was aided through the usage of a modified version of Romaioli and Contarello’s (2019) theoretical framework before delving into practical instances of agency within these care settings. The research displayed singular examples where agency may be supported which can then be extrapolated into more abstract concepts as may be necessary. There were two key takeaways from the research. Firstly, while there is an encouragement for policymakers to create policies around the topic of agency, it should be noted that these should be broader in nature to allow for greater ease of homelessness-related services at the mezzo level to adjust their practices accordingly. That is to say, that rather than basing policies around specific instances, it is more practical for what this dissertation refers to as “thematic” policies to be implemented. Secondly, the dissertation suggests that, while it is important to dedicate resources towards supporting the “real” agency of an individual seeking support, it is also vital that these efforts do not inadvertently undermine self-perceived agency of those in homeless services. This may be achieved either through the implementation of additional policies or alternatively, acknowledging self-perceived agency could become a more significant area of focus in policies being drafted.	en_US
dc.language.iso	en	en_US
dc.publisher	University of Galway	en_US
dc.rights	Attribution 4.0 International	*
dc.rights.uri	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/	*
dc.subject	RESEARCH	en_US
dc.subject	HOMELESSNESS	en_US
dc.subject	OLDER PEOPLE	en_US
dc.subject	SOCIAL EXCLUSION	en_US
dc.title	Examining the challenges of supporting individual agency to the long-term homeless in later life	en_US
dc.type	Thesis	en_US
refterms.dateFOA	2024-10-10T08:22:37Z