Oscillating in and out of place: Experiences of older adults residing in homeless shelters in Montreal, Quebec

- Aging in place is a dominant policy concept that underpins service delivery
- Little is known about meanings of place for older adults experiencing homelessness
- An empirically-driven model “oscillating in and out of place” is presented
- Pre-homeless housing and shelters both promoted and threatened feeling in place
- Findings extend and nuance existing understandings of aging in place

Aging in place is desirable from the perspective of older adults and policy makers alike. However, the meaning of 'place' for adults experiencing homelessness has been largely overlooked. Addressing this gap, this constructivist grounded theory study discusses the meaning of place for 15 older adults residing in emergency homeless shelters in Montreal, Quebec. Findings revealed that four interrelated dimensions of place-that is, control, comfort, privacy, and security were instrumental in supporting participants' ability to feel in place across housed-homeless trajectories. Many felt out of place well before they lost their housing and some felt more in place during homelessness when shelter conditions and interpersonal relations supported these four dimensions. The empirically-driven model oscillating in and out of place extends and nuances existing understandings of aging in place and provides insights into policy and practice solutions for older adults who may not have a stable place to call home.