Assisting Forgotten Fathers: Homeless in Rural America

Homeless fathers present with their wives and children have rarely been studied, especially in rural America. Nationally, most of the chronically homeless are men, but they are not homeless with their wives and children. Moreover, research on family homelessness has focused on women with children. This work is part of an ethnographic study of 86 homeless families in Kentucky, within which only 16 men were present. We attempt to understand who are these men who remain with their families? The men told their life histories, and were interviewed about their relationships, family background, past and current violence, substance abuse, survival strategies, employment, religious involvement, and their hopes for the future. Overall, they often have devastating personal lives, much experience with substance abuse and alcoholism, few skills for sustained employment, have suffered extreme physical abuse in the past, and acknowledge that violence continues to be present in their lives. Yet it is clear that these men are exceptional, if only because they are among the very few who choose to remain with their families, giving and taking support and succor. Still they face many obstacles that keep them from being the type of father they wish to be—providing for their children, working, and helping to break the chain of intergenerational poverty and violence. This research also attempts to expand theoretical models originally developed to explain the survival strategies of the rural homeless mothers with children. Where do homeless fathers fit it? What are their basic mental and physical health needs? What social policies are required to assist them?

Joanna M. Badagliacco, PhD is a Chellgren Professor for Undergraduate Excellence, an Associate Professor of Sociology, and the Director of the Discovery Seminar Program at the University of Kentucky. She is an affiliated faculty member in Gender and Women's Studies, Appalachian Center, and the Center for Poverty Research. Winner of multiple teaching awards, Dr. Badagliacco is also a Fulbright Senior Specialist in teaching and methods of inquiry. She received her PhD degree from Columbia University, specializing in the sociology of families. Her scholarly work examines families and women's lives with respect to issues of reproduction, family planning, poverty, homelessness, genomics, and overall social justice, and social inequalities. Her current research focuses on homeless families in Kentucky, the subject of a book in progress. She describes herself as a "resolute social activist since the age of 8," and out of concern for humanity and the state of our society, she has dedicated her life to social justice, devoting many hours to community service. In 2007, Dr. Badagliacco was awarded the Sarah Bennett Holmes Award for service to women of the University of Kentucky, the local community and the state; she is the first faculty member to be chosen for this prestigious award.

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