Narrative insight into risk, vulnerability and resilience among older homeless African American women

This paper highlights narrative method as a tool for gaining insight into the risk, vulnerability and resilience of older homeless African American women. The authors incorporated narrative method into the Telling My Story (TMS) Project, a subproject of a parent research effort designed to identify ways older homeless African American women can leave – and stay out of – homelessness. TMS sought to explore the usefulness of narrative for structuring meaningful assessment of the issues eight older African American women experienced in their struggle to leave homelessness. The authors identify sources of risk and resilience the women discuss within their narratives, and they consider how advocacy can incorporate narrative assessment for helping older African American women resolve the issues that sustain their homelessness.

► We use narrative method to highlight risks homeless women face.
► The narrative method was used to assess the issues older minority women face in getting out of homelessness.
► We identify the sources of resilience the women's narratives incorporate.
► We consider how the helping process can incorporate narrative method to facilitate women's movement out of homelessness.