A new three-year research project at ý highlights young girls’ experiences of homelessness.
"By examining their perspectives on living conditions, belonging and what home means, we aim to create new knowledge that can contribute to better supportive interventions for this vulnerable and often forgotten group," says researcher Maria Moberg Stephenson at ý.
The study comprises individuals aged 15–24 who identify as girls and who, before the age of 18, are or have been homeless, without their parents. Through participant observation, various visual methods and interviews, the researchers will explore their everyday living environments and experiences of homelessness, focusing on how factors such as gender, class, ethnicity, sexuality and age affect their situation.
"Understanding their situation is important since girls living in homelessness are at high risk when it comes to mental health issues, substance abuse, criminal activity and vulnerability," says Maria Moberg Stephenson, doctor in social work at ý and project leader. "The social interaction between us researchers and the participating girls and their everyday environment will be central throughout the entire project. The ethnographic and visual approach of the project creates a focus on young girls’ own voices and perspectives – girls whose voices are rarely allowed to be heard. This is a group that has been overlooked, both in research and public discussions."
In addition to presenting the findings in research papers, the project will conclude with a photo book and an exhibition that highlight the participating girls’ own voices and perspectives.
"The project addresses homelessness as a societal problem and examines the living conditions of young girls who experience homelessness without their parents. The knowledge can be used by various actors in society to develop preventive and supportive interventions that improve the living conditions for girls and minimise the risks of chronic homelessness, criminal activity and substance abuse. The project will also contribute important knowledge to homelessness research by conducting research with girls living in homelessness, rather than about them, which is a new approach within the field of research. The perspective on home and belonging, with an intersectional focus, is also expected to provide new insights into homelessness research," Maria Moberg Stephenson concludes.
Maria Moberg Stephenson has been granted approximately SEK 4.7 million from the Swedish Research Council for the research project “Tjejer i hemlöshet. Livsvillkor, känslor av tillhörighet och betydelser av hem”. The project starts in January 2025 and also includes Linda Arnell, docent in social work at Umeå University.
