(Self-)Involvement in the Social Service System: Attitudes of the Residents of Homeless Shelters and of the Staff at Social Service Institutions
Journal Title: KultŁ«ra ir visuomenė. SocialiniŁ³ tyrimŁ³ Ł¾urnalas - Year 2014, Vol 5, Issue 2
Abstract
With neo-liberal welfare policy developing the concept of a beneficiary dependent on the welfare system, the growing number of such persons and the increasing duration of their dependency prompt a discussion about the “culture of welfare dependency” and so-called “institutional circuit” that a part of society members fall into (Metraux, Culhane 2006). The welfare system itself and its structural parts maintain this “institutional circuit.” Individuals become dependent on the welfare state by adapting to the procedures and rules of welfare institutions and remaining within this system for a long time. Furthermore, different forms of social control, marginalization, assimilation and deviation became important in maintaining social justice in the neo-liberal welfare state. A homeless shelter can also be treated as a preventative mechanism allowing the absorption of potential threats posed by the people using its services. Focusing on the ways of persons’ involvement in Lithuanian homeless shelters, the article analyzes the experiences of their residents, and the relationship between the homeless, different institutions of welfare state and their staff. The focus group interview with social workers and semi-structured interviews with male residents of the homeless shelters enable to identify factors and practices that make them develop dependency on institutional welfare.
Authors and Affiliations
Rasa Indriliūnaitė
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- EP ID EP121945
- DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.7220/2335-8777.5.2.5
- Views 115
- Downloads 0
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