Gambling and Homelessness: Conducting research Overseas

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Gambling and Homelessness Conducting research
Overseas

• Lesley McMahon
• 14/10/05

Joint Centre for Scottish Housing Research The
Geddes Institute University of Dundee
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Introduction

• Research projects Australian study
• The Research Process
• Points for reflection
• Key findings to date
• Tentative recommendations

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The Process (Ritchie Lewis, 2003)

• Framing the research questions
• Literature review Antonetti Horn (2001),
  Talbot (2004)
• Pilot study in Tayside (11 staff in 9 agencies
  and 2 GA members)
• Choosing methodology
• Case study approach (secondary and primary data)
• Clients in-depth detailed account of their
  experiences (socio-economic, housing history,
  gambling history, triggers, support)
• Agencies semi-structured (organisation, funding,
  forms of support, changes over the past decade,
  awareness of problem gambling and homeless)

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Process cont.

• Research Ethics
• Incentives and reciprocity wrt participants
• Protecting participants from harm
• Protecting myself from harm
• Choosing research sample
• Gambling counselling providers
• Homelessness service providers
• People who have experienced pg and homelessness
• Contacting participants
• Contact at State government

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Process cont.

• Designing survey instrument
• Agency questionnaire several iterations
• Prep for field work
• Setting up appointments
• Using online maps to see locations of agencies
  and to estimate distance for travelling between
  appointments
• Local contact Eleanor
• Map, timetables
• Check all equipment works!

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Process cont.

• Conducting of fieldwork
• Allow enough time
• Snowballing
• Length of interviews
• Travelling time
• Writing up notes and transcribing
• Analysis
• Thematic analysis
• Reporting
• To the fund body Carnegie Trust
• Invited to conferences
• Journal papers

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Reflection on process

• Need to estimate time better
• Need to learn to drive

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The Study

• Interviewed 26 agency staff in 17 organisations
  and 8 clients
• Funded by Carnegie Trust
• Objectives
• Enquire into the experiences of people who have
  experienced problem gambling, and the impact of
  this on their housing status
• To identify the support factors
• Highlight good practice

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Key Findings Australia

• Gambling Counselling Agencies
• Estimated approx 25 clients have experienced
  homelessness or a reduction in housing
  circumstances caused by the problem gambling
  (eviction, repossession, relationship breakdown)
• Homelessness sector
• Variation regarding awareness of problem gambling
  as a discrete issue
• Very rarely the presenting issue
• Not the primary or secondary reason, but it is a
  growing factor especially with clients who have
  complex needs
• Homelessness academic Gambling is not an
  issue.

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Why the different representations of the problem?
HOMELESSNESS HOUSING SECTOR

• Client
• Non-disclosure
• Stigma
• Shame
• Fear of denial of service
• Needs not meet

• Worker
• Not identifying
• Not on radar
• Inadequate skills to respond (perceived or
  actual)
• Problem gambling de-prioritised

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Tentative Recommendations

• Scottish Executive should be proactive with
  community education programmes (illustrating
  behavioural strategies, as well as problem
  recognition)
• Should encourage people to talk openly about
  problem gambling to remove the stigma and shame
• Should fund services with new money into the
  welfare services sector (from some of the
  additional tax receipts from gambling)
• Data collection
• Gambling industry to a degree acknowledges its
  role and responsibilities
• RIGT to fund support for PG and community
  education
• Housing homelessness sector
• Training to raise awareness (GamCare)
• Develop policies regarding service delivery for
  people who are experiencing problem gambling

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