Destigmatisation of homeless people based on homeless shelter ethnographic research and its methodological obstacles
Abstract
Homelessness is one of the most visible problems of the present times hiding its even bigger non-visible dimension. The aim of the article is to itroduce methodological obstacles of qualitative research in homeless shelter and to point out to the stigmatization of homeless people and efforts to overcome it.
Study is based on homeless shelter ethnographic research executed throughout the years 2017-2018 in a position of social worker assistant in Czech Republic. The destigmatization purpose is to support reducing of marginalization of homeless people by changing majority population point of view in the following categories: homeless people as a (non)homogeneous group; (in)ability to work and find housing; aggression and temper as a (non)character trait; health (self)hazard, alcohol and drug (non)addiction, criminal (in)activity.
The article is a product of engaged anthropology with its role of presenting negatively effecting situations as a way of adjustment to special homeless situation of a person, supported by adequate quotations of homeless people in each chapter.