Abstract:

Homelessness is an important problem in our country as it is in the whole world because of the increase in the number of people affected directly or indirectly by it and its structural link with other social problems. The characteristics of homeless people should be known and their living conditions should be understood in order to plan social policies for them and for the service models to be provided to them. Accordingly, this study aims to determine the sociodemographic characteristics of homeless people and their experiences of living on the streets. The study was designed at the general scanning model and it includes the homeless people (n=50) who applied to the Social Services Unit of Antalya Training and Research Hospital in 2017-2018 and volunteered to participate in the study. The data were collected through a questionnaire containing 34 questions. At the end of the study, it was found that the majority of the participant homeless people are 45-59 years old, single, and primary school graduate property. In addition, it was understood that the homeless people who had lived mostly with their families before starting to live on the streets had paid employment and therefore had been a part of the social life during this period of their lives. Besides, it was discovered that the majority of them live on the streets due to financial reasons and don’t have a regular income and social security; moreover, they cover their needs through social aid, the goods that volunteers provide them, or the income they receive from daily jobs. This lifestyle of the homeless people who have lived on the streets for 5 years or more has become chronic, they suffer from physical and psychological health problems, and have developed several strategies for living on the streets. It is seen that they are aware of the risks of living on the streets in general and can stop living on the streets when the proper conditions are provided.