Interviews
As part of our project, we were very curious about the impact of homelessness on children. We visited the homeless shelter a week before spring break in April 2013 and conducted interviews with the children there. Interviews took place in the main sleeping area for families and consisted of a huge open room with beds clumped in family groupings. Children were playing all over the room and we went around and asked parents permission to talk to them. We asked basic questions and tried to go a little deeper into the depth of questions the more we talked to them. Some things displayed are direct quotes, others are paraphrased and summarized. Names were changed to protect the privacy of the individuals.
q. who is in your family?
Tony. Mother and son currently living in the shelter.
Jessica. Three Children, two girls and one boy all younger than the age of seven, living with Mother in shelter.
Mary. "I have a twin brother and 2 older brothers ages 28 and 21"
Nicole and Jenna. 2 sisters, a brother and a stepbrother
Jessica. Three Children, two girls and one boy all younger than the age of seven, living with Mother in shelter.
Mary. "I have a twin brother and 2 older brothers ages 28 and 21"
Nicole and Jenna. 2 sisters, a brother and a stepbrother
q. what is your favorite thing to do?
Jessica. Cheerleading
Mary. Soccer
Evan. loves trains and dinosaurs
Mary. Soccer
Evan. loves trains and dinosaurs
Q.Where do you go to school?
Tony. 5th grader at Horace Mann after leaving Trotwood Schooling. Wants to go to Dunbar for high school, then OSU for college.
Jessica. West Carrollton
Mary. JFK
Nicole and Jenna. Rosary
Evan. Primary Village South
Patrick. Horizon
Jessica. West Carrollton
Mary. JFK
Nicole and Jenna. Rosary
Evan. Primary Village South
Patrick. Horizon
q. What is your favorite subject in school?
Tony. "Science because I like to learn about life and animals"
Jessica. "Science! Reading! Art! Painting?"
Mary. Science
Nicole and Jenna. Math and Reading
Evan. Loves math
Patrick. Loves all subjects!
Jessica. "Science! Reading! Art! Painting?"
Mary. Science
Nicole and Jenna. Math and Reading
Evan. Loves math
Patrick. Loves all subjects!
q. how are your grades?
Tony. Bs and Cs
Jessica. "Yes good grades- A pluses" "Checks are good and minuses are HORRIBLE"
Mary. "I do pretty good I guess"
Nicole and Jenna. "I get B's and C's, and I don't have much homework but I get good grades."
Patrick. He doesn't know if he's smart but his mother says he gets all A's.
Jessica. "Yes good grades- A pluses" "Checks are good and minuses are HORRIBLE"
Mary. "I do pretty good I guess"
Nicole and Jenna. "I get B's and C's, and I don't have much homework but I get good grades."
Patrick. He doesn't know if he's smart but his mother says he gets all A's.
q. is it hard to do your homework at the shelter?
Tony. Not much homework. When he does have assignments, they are not too hard to do.
Jessica. "I never do homework. I just read a chapter book." "It is kinda hard to do it"
Patrick. "Yes! I have to go to the tutoring room to get some peace!"
Jessica. "I never do homework. I just read a chapter book." "It is kinda hard to do it"
Patrick. "Yes! I have to go to the tutoring room to get some peace!"
q. what do you want to be when you grow up?
Tony. "A rapper, and football player, and basketball player." "Firefighter" "Shortie wanna be a Thug" "A real job that pays, so I can take care of my momma""A doctor so I can see brains"
Jessica. Wants to be an Olympic gymnast and cheerleader.
Mary. Wants to be a massage therapist or own a cupcake shop after going to Wright State
Nicole and Jenna. Want to be lawyers because it takes a lot of work.
Patrick. Policeman, Firefighter, or Veterinarian. He loves animals.
Jessica. Wants to be an Olympic gymnast and cheerleader.
Mary. Wants to be a massage therapist or own a cupcake shop after going to Wright State
Nicole and Jenna. Want to be lawyers because it takes a lot of work.
Patrick. Policeman, Firefighter, or Veterinarian. He loves animals.
Q. Who is your hero/role model?
Tony. Older brother because he is 34 and only sees him rarely.
Mary. Doesn't have a role model
Nicole and Jenna. "Mom and dad because they protect us and make sure we do the right thing."
Patrick. His role model is his mother but she's "silly". Mother says "Silly role models are the best ones!"
Mary. Doesn't have a role model
Nicole and Jenna. "Mom and dad because they protect us and make sure we do the right thing."
Patrick. His role model is his mother but she's "silly". Mother says "Silly role models are the best ones!"
q. what is it like to live here?
Tony. The shelter takes away from the family dynamic. Forced to live with other people with other customs/ habits that are not how they want their children to live like or model after. Can't wait to get out of the shelter, have been in an out for one year because the program did not work, but this time it will.
Jessica's Mom. Have been homeless for four years, been to four different shelters running from domestic violence. Being housed in an apartment the day after our interviews. Do not like living in shelter and unable to be a real family. Wishes she could cook meals for her kids and take advantage of all of the Government's food stamps because the shelter does not allow her to bring in food. Wants to be able to do things for her family but is unable to because the shelter has its policies.
Mary. She sort of likes to live here, doesn't have many friends but doesn't hate it. Her mother, brother, and her have been living at St. Vincent for about a month now while her mother tries to find a job.
Nicole and Jenna. They have only been at St. Vincent for about a week and do not like it. It's extremely noisy and there are a lot of bad people living there with them. The mother doesn't plan on making friends with anyone so it's easier for them to leave.
Evan's Mom. Living at the shelter, there is no quiet, no peace, no nothing anywhere you go. After the sequestration is put into place, the maximum amount of time you can stay at the shelter is 3 months. The mental health unit is also being cut, affecting many people at St. Vincent.
Patrick. "We've been here for 26 days. It's okay I guess, but there are a lot of rules! You can't run, you have to wake up at 7 and you have to be back by 4:30."
Jessica's Mom. Have been homeless for four years, been to four different shelters running from domestic violence. Being housed in an apartment the day after our interviews. Do not like living in shelter and unable to be a real family. Wishes she could cook meals for her kids and take advantage of all of the Government's food stamps because the shelter does not allow her to bring in food. Wants to be able to do things for her family but is unable to because the shelter has its policies.
Mary. She sort of likes to live here, doesn't have many friends but doesn't hate it. Her mother, brother, and her have been living at St. Vincent for about a month now while her mother tries to find a job.
Nicole and Jenna. They have only been at St. Vincent for about a week and do not like it. It's extremely noisy and there are a lot of bad people living there with them. The mother doesn't plan on making friends with anyone so it's easier for them to leave.
Evan's Mom. Living at the shelter, there is no quiet, no peace, no nothing anywhere you go. After the sequestration is put into place, the maximum amount of time you can stay at the shelter is 3 months. The mental health unit is also being cut, affecting many people at St. Vincent.
Patrick. "We've been here for 26 days. It's okay I guess, but there are a lot of rules! You can't run, you have to wake up at 7 and you have to be back by 4:30."
q. what toll does living in the shelter take on your children?
Tony's Mom. A big toll. Must be strong in all areas. Can't imagine how little children do it.
Evan's Mom. Her son has been taken from her because the court decided her parents can take much better care of her 5 year old son with Autism at their home rather than at the shelter. She disagrees claiming he would be happier living with her at St. Vincent.
Evan's Mom. Her son has been taken from her because the court decided her parents can take much better care of her 5 year old son with Autism at their home rather than at the shelter. She disagrees claiming he would be happier living with her at St. Vincent.
analysis of interviews
We received a wide range of responses that we didn't necessarily expect to hear.
There were not many clear trends with the children's responses. Some said that they could get their homework done easily, while others really struggled to complete their work with the distractions of the loud environment. Even in trying to listen to our interview recordings, we both struggled to hear the people we were speaking with because of the amount of background noise. Some children liked living at St. Vincent, while others really did not. Some had made friends within the shelter, some were determined to stay with their family and get out of the shelter.
It was interesting to speak to the mothers living with their children as well. One had just lost her son in a custody battle and was grieving. The other was determined to push her son continually so that he could enjoy a better life. It was clear that mental illness is a factor in many of these people's lives.
We also noticed that certain things prevented some from obtaining jobs to better their lives. For many, disabilities hinder their opportunity to get jobs. For others, a felony when young prevents any work whatsoever.
We see that there are many factors that bring about homelessness and poverty, and there is more than one solution to ending it.
It would be interesting to interview children from well off families with the same questions and compare the two groups.
There were not many clear trends with the children's responses. Some said that they could get their homework done easily, while others really struggled to complete their work with the distractions of the loud environment. Even in trying to listen to our interview recordings, we both struggled to hear the people we were speaking with because of the amount of background noise. Some children liked living at St. Vincent, while others really did not. Some had made friends within the shelter, some were determined to stay with their family and get out of the shelter.
It was interesting to speak to the mothers living with their children as well. One had just lost her son in a custody battle and was grieving. The other was determined to push her son continually so that he could enjoy a better life. It was clear that mental illness is a factor in many of these people's lives.
We also noticed that certain things prevented some from obtaining jobs to better their lives. For many, disabilities hinder their opportunity to get jobs. For others, a felony when young prevents any work whatsoever.
We see that there are many factors that bring about homelessness and poverty, and there is more than one solution to ending it.
It would be interesting to interview children from well off families with the same questions and compare the two groups.