ABOUT POVERTY AND HOMELESSNESS

CASE # 7: ABOUT POVERTY AND HOMELESSNESS

The community of Finnytown has identified the need for a shelter to serve homeless women and children. Finnytown currently has a homeless shelter for men. Women and children can obtain health care services there but are not allowed to stay overnight. The Finnytown health care task force performed a community assessment that revealed that a higher number of homeless men than women reside in Finnytown, but the percentage of homeless women is steadily increasing. Results further showed that more women with children than men are living in poverty. The task force speculated that many women who are living in poverty are being overlooked and thus are becoming women without homes.

The task force and the community of Finnytown decide to open a homeless shelter for women and children. The new shelter will primarily serve women with children who are homeless or in poverty. Georgia B. is the community health nurse who is a member of the task force team. Nurse Georgia and other health care professionals are charged with planning health care services for women with children to be provided at the new homeless shelter.

Questions

1. What common health problems should Nurse Georgia and the task force be aware of when planning health services to be provided at the new shelter?

2. What effects of poverty on the health of children should Nurse Georgia and the task force be aware of when planning appropriate services?

3. After the shelter opens, Nurse Georgia becomes one of the nurses who works in the clinic. What strategies are important for Nurse Georgia to implement when working with this population?