Navigating Adversity: Homelessness, Victimisation and Systemic Barriers

The relationship between homelessness, violence and crime is often depicted as closely intertwined, however the specific nature and extent of victimisation in the lives of people experiencing homelessness remains significantly under-researched. This is particularly true in South Africa where scant and small-scaled research dominates exploring vulnerability to victimisation among homeless populations, resulting in a large contextual gap, minimising the consideration and prioritisation in mainstream legislation, policy and subsequent interventions. The present study aimed to determine the experience of victimisation and service needs of individuals by employing a survey research design with a quantitative approach, a questionnaire was used to collect data from 150 individuals, which allowed for the extraction of descriptive statistics and personal accounts to illustrate the lived experiences of respondents. The identification of unique pathways into homelessness allowed for the improved understanding of the prevalent root causes that could potentially manifest and present itself as risk factors, altering the level of vulnerability among the exposed individuals. The results revealed that a substantial proportion of the sample had experienced victimisation (59.7%). Furthermore, through an emancipatory and empowering approach, the paper incorporates valuable personal accounts from respondents based on their lived experiences facing homelessness, victimisation and the barriers they may encounter with regards to access to services.