Hemlöshet som vardag - Att navigera mellan livet på gatan och det lokala hemlöshetssystemet över tid

Abstract

This licentiate thesis examines experiences of everyday life in homelessness through a longitudinal qualitative approach. The study is based on interviews with nine participants who, at the time of the first interview, were experiencing or had recently experienced homelessness. Five participants were followed for 6–8 months through follow-up interviews. The analysis focuses on time, mobility, access to public spaces, changes in housing situations, encounters with the local homelessness system, and perceptions of home over time. The findings show that everyday life in homelessness is characterised by constant movement between places in the city, where opening hours, regulations, and social norms structure mobility and the use of time. Time emerges as a central dimension, both in finding ways to pass the time and in keeping appointments to access services and overnight accommodation. Public and semi-public spaces, such as shopping centres and libraries, provide opportunities for shelter and social participation, while also being shaped by restrictions and exclusionary practices. Low-threshold services provide important access to support and social inclusion, although not everyone experiences these spaces as welcoming. Everyday life is also marked by uncertainty and risk, requiring strategies to manage insecurity in both public spaces and, in some cases, accommodation provided through social services. The study further shows that homelessness is a dynamic and often long-term process involving material, relational, and psychological dimensions. The participants’ experiences can be understood in terms of liminality, a state between inclusion in and exclusion from the surrounding society. Housing stability influences feelings of belonging and trust in social services, while individuals’ agency and strategies in relation to support systems shape their opportunities to change their circumstances. Overall, the study highlights homelessness as a complex process in which everyday life, spatial conditions, and institutional structures interact.