Shifting social worker attitudes toward homelessness: an MSW training program evaluation

Abstract

ABSTRACT Homeless agencies rely on social workers to fulfill a critical role in housing first service delivery yet social worker recruitment and retention for high-demand fields are challenging. A consortium of five Masters of Social Work (MSW) programs located in Southern California participated in a student training program to enhance field placements in the homeless sector. The Homeless Social Work Education Program (“the Program”) provides a homeless sector-specific curriculum designed to reverse misunderstood causes of homelessness and improve comfort affiliating with homeless. This article presents the Program’s evaluation findings at the end of Year 2. Over the two-year period, 28 students completed a pre- and post-evaluation which included the Attitudes Toward Homelessness Inventory (ATHI). The results showed a significant student improvement in the outlook towards the homeless population. The Homeless Social Work Education Program may offer a model that will address workforce deficits in the homeless social service sector by improving attitudes towards working with this population.