Background

Young people experiencing homelessness (YEH) interact with, and are reliant on, multiple social systems in their daily efforts to meet their basic needs. Criminalization of homelessness contributes to victimization, and social service providers can act as gatekeepers for access to services, yet little is known about how criminalization and social service policies impact access to food, housing, and other basic needs resources.

Objective

This study aimed to explore how YEH access safety and basic needs resources and how they interface with social systems and systems agents while attempting to meet their basic needs.

Participants and setting

Forty-five YEH participated in youth-led interviews across San Francisco.

Methods

We conducted a qualitative Youth Participatory Action Research study utilizing Participatory Photo Mapping to interview YEH on their experiences of violence, safety, and accessing basic needs. A grounded theory analysis identified patterns of youth victimization and barriers to meeting their basic needs.

Results

Analysis revealed the role of decision-making power of authority figures (e.g., social service providers, law enforcement officers, other gatekeepers) in enacting or preventing structural violence against YEH. When authority figures utilized their discretionary power to allow access to services, YEH were able to meet their basic needs. Discretionary power enacted to limit movement, prevent access, or cause physical harm limited the ability of YEH to meet their basic needs.

Conclusions

The discretionary power of authority figures can contribute to structural violence when their discretion is used to interpret laws and policies in ways that prevent access to limited basic needs resources for YEH.

中文翻译：

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在预防和实施针对无家可归的年轻人的结构性暴力中部署自由裁量权

背景

无家可归的年轻人 (YEH) 在满足其基本需求的日常努力中与多种社会系统相互作用，并依赖于多种社会系统。将无家可归者定罪会导致受害，而社会服务提供者可以充当获得服务的看门人，但对于定罪和社会服务政策如何影响获得食物、住房和其他基本需求资源的情况知之甚少。

客观的

本研究旨在探讨 YEH 如何访问安全和基本需求资源，以及他们在尝试满足其基本需求时如何与社会系统和系统代理交互。

参与者和设置

45 名 YEH 参加了旧金山各地以青年为主导的采访。

方法

我们进行了一项定性的青年参与行动研究，利用参与式照片映射来采访 YEH，了解他们在暴力、安全和获取基本需求方面的经历。扎根理论分析确定了青年受害的模式和满足他们基本需求的障碍。

结果

分析揭示了权威人物（例如，社会服务提供者、执法人员、其他看门人）的决策权在制定或防止针对 YEH 的结构性暴力中的作用。当权威人物利用他们的自由裁量权允许访问服务时，YEH 能够满足他们的基本需求。为限制行动、阻止进入或造成人身伤害而颁布的自由裁量权限制了 YEH 满足其基本需求的能力。

结论

当权威人物的自由裁量权被用来以阻止 YEH 获得有限的基本需求资源的方式解释法律和政策时，他们的自由裁量权可能会导致结构性暴力。