Date of Conferral

2023

Degree

Doctor of Social Work (DSW)

School

Social Work

Advisor

Thomas Mclaughlin

Abstract

Mental illness and the homeless population are a growing concern in the United States. Homeless individuals utilize emergency rooms and acute inpatient stays more than those with housing. Social workers play a vital role in discharge planning, starting on the first day of admission. This action research study explored the challenges of social workers developing discharge plans for adults transitioning from an inpatient psychiatric level of care experiencing homeless. The theoretical framework implemented in this study was systems theory. Data were collected from 12 purposively selected master’s level social workers in the format of individual and focus group interviews. Eight social workers participated in individual interviews and three in the focus group. Data gathered from the individual and focus group interviews yielded four participant-driven themes that answered the research question. The themes were lack of resources, lack of collaboration, length of stay, and client-related factors. The findings from this study identified key challenges of social workers’ discharge planning for adults transitioning from an inpatient level of care experiencing homelessness, limited resources for this population, lack of collaboration among stakeholders, time limits to develop safe discharge plans, and patient factors such as limited supports. Addressing the identified challenges in this study could promote positive social change on local and national levels by improving the discharge planning process in hospital settings for adult patients experiencing homelessness. The results of this study could assist in reducing the number of individuals being discharged to the streets and shelters from hospital settings.

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