Reintegration Services for Homeless Female Living with Severe Mental Illness and History of Sexual Abuse

Abstract

Homeless women are considered one of the most vulnerable subpopulations among the homeless. This is attributable to many interrelated factors such as a woman’s vulnerability to violence, exploitation and marginalization and higher rates of poverty wherein she often lacks the necessary resources for escaping violence. Evidence also shows that without appropriate interventions, women have a high likelihood for multiple episodes of homelessness. For instance, women are particularly vulnerable to victimization and are at higher risk for physical and sexual violence while living on the streets or in shelters. Furthermore, intimate partner violence is a common path into homelessness for women. This is a case of a 37 year old married female with a history of 19 years of mental illness and eight years of homelessness during which she was sexually assaulted in a public place. She was diagnosed with simple/hebephrenic schizophrenia with dissociative amnesia. The present paper elucidates the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions in tracing the identity and contact details of a homeless woman with Severe Mental Illness and a history of sexual abuse. It also highlights the utilization of resources in the community through mobilization. It also emphasized the need for psycho-education and family based interventions for the homeless mentally ill, along with facilitation of welfare benefits.