Surveying Homeless Veterans
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Read the example below, which provides different options for how to do research to help support homeless veterans:
Kendrick works with veterans and has recently noticed that there seem to be more homeless veterans. He wants to conduct a survey of homeless veterans to determine their needs and to document the extent of the problem so that he can apply for funding. He isn’t really sure, however, how to get a sample of homeless veterans to interview. He talks to his colleagues, and they identify three possibilities:
Evelyn reminds him that there are several large homeless shelters downtown and suggests he get a client list from the shelter and randomly select potential interviewees from the list.
Drew points out that some homeless individuals do not stay in shelters and that they are likely to need services as well. He suggests that Kendrick visit soup kitchens and other meal programs and select interviewees from people eating there.
Spencer notes that there are individuals who neither sleep in shelters nor eat congregate meals and those individuals may be especially in need of services. He suggests that Kendrick start with one of the homeless vets he already knows, asks that vet to link him to other homeless vets by providing directions to where they usually stay, asks those vets to link him to others in the same way, and so on.
In your initial post, please do the following:
Select an approach and explain why you have chosen it. Provide a brief rationale or description of your selection – what are the benefits of this approach?
Reply to at least two of your peers. In your replies, please do the following:
Review your peer’s selection and their rationale for choosing it. What are the drawbacks to their approach? What or who might it exclude?
Sample Solution
I believe that Spencer’s approach of starting with one homeless vet and then asking them to link him to others is the most appropriate. This is because it allows for a more in-depth understanding of the issue by enabling Kendrick to get an up close look at how homeless veterans live, as well as provides an opportunity for him to build relationships and trust with those he is interviewing (Johnson & Johnson, 2015). Additionally, this method could be useful in reaching out to individuals who are not staying in shelters or eating congregate meals and may have different needs than those already accounted for by other approaches (Nolen et al., 2017).
Furthermore, this approach focuses on building relationships between researcher and participant which can lead to increased accuracy when gathering data. By getting input from people who are actually experiencing homelessness themselves, Kendrick will gain insights into their perspectives that may not be available through any other means. Additionally, since these individuals know each other personally they would likely be more open and honest with someone they trust than a stranger who shows up unannounced at a shelter or meal program.
In conclusion, I believe Spencer’s approach offers Kendrick the best chance of collecting accurate data while also allowing him to develop meaningful connections with his participants. It is important that researchers take all potential sources into consideration when conducting research on sensitive topics like homelessness in order to ensure that all voices are heard.
