Abstract
Those experiencing homelessness are thought to have no possessions or connection to place. This assumption rests on the construction of ‘home’ as exclusively located in a private and permanent structured residence. In this paper, ‘non-home’ is used to describe the places homeless people inhabit. Non-homes can be personalized and be made more comfortable through placemaking but can never completely become home. Distinguishing between placemaking and homemaking, this paper investigates how people use objects and their material surroundings to placemake in non-homes. This study used a grounded theory approach to analyse the personal narratives that accompanied objects archived online by the Museum of Homelessness. The narratives are meant to illustrate the significance of objects and material possessions during experiences of homelessness. The author also developed personal narratives for significant objects during her own experience(s) of homelessness and housing insecurity. Through the analysis of both a museum collection and a personal collection, this paper concludes that people use objects and surroundings to participate in two types of place-making, personal and practical, as they attempt to make their surroundings more ‘homey’ while living in homeless situations. This distinction, made possible through the Museum of Homelessness collection, recognizes the agency of those living in non-homes without dismissing the importance of and difficulty of making a ‘true’ home while homeless.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Knowledge, Research, Materiality, Place
