Date of Conferral

10-20-2026

Date of Award

October 2026

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Human Services

Advisor

Shari Jorissen

Abstract

Homelessness for families is complex and considered an “invisible” type of homelessness, as society often believes that only individuals experience homelessness. Fathers who are homeless and live in shelters may be unable to fulfill the needs of their families and experience issues related to their parenting skills/relationships with their children due to rules/regulations of shelters. The problem addressed in this study was the inability of fathers who live in a shelter with their families to effectively parent their children due to the rules, regulations, and influences of others in family homeless shelters. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore fathers' perspectives about their parental role residing with their children in a homeless shelter and how they perceived the impacts of shelter rules and service structures on their ability to parent. Family systems theory and interpersonal communication theory were used to explore semistructured interview data of 10 fathers experiencing homelessness with their families using the VSAIEEDC coding method. Results indicated that fathers believed their primary parental role was to protect their children, that they experienced several challenges that affected their parental role, and their ability to parent can be positively or negatively impacted by homeless shelter rules and service structures when residing with their children in a homeless shelter. Research findings may provide those who work with fathers/families facing homelessness with increased guidance about appropriate services. This information could be used to advance positive social change by developing practical solutions to address issues faced by fathers residing in shelters with their children.

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