The study of welfare needs of homeless in Taipei

• Main Authors: WANG, SHU-CHEN, 王淑楨
• Other Authors: TSENG, HUA-YUAN
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2016
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/30746424722715384749

博士 === 東海大學 === 社會工作學系 === 104 === This study is intended to understand the welfare needs of the homeless. The genders, age groups, marital status, numbers of children, educational backgrounds and domiciles of homeless people are taken into consideration to examine the relations between homeless people’s welfare needs in order to predict the operating modes of welfare services for the homeless. This study was conducted on the homeless people in Wanhua, Zhongzheng and Datong Districts of Taipei City. A basic information survey” a questionnaire on the welfare needs of homeless people in Taipei Cit and a focus group discussion questionnaire were administered. Literature review, questionnaire, survey, focus group discussion and statistic methods were adopted. At the same time, three sessions of focus group discussion involving fifteen homeless people and two attended by four experienced social workers were conducted to establish qualitative data. The conclusions from quantitative and qualitative researches are as follows: 1. The current welfare needs of homeless people and available welfare services in Taipei City (results of quantitative research) (1) Analysis of the current welfare needs of homeless people in Taipei City (1)The top three medical care needs are physical examination, dental care (teeth cleaning, false teeth, dental implants, dental cavity treatment) and resumption of National Health Insurance coverage. (2)The top three types of daily life and economic assistance needed are daily life economic assistance, National Health Insurance premium subsidies and home rental subsidies. (3)The top three employment assistance needs are jobs provided by the government (jobs offered by the government and those provided by private enterprises under government coordination), jobs offered by the Department of Labor and jobs available through employment agencies. (4)The top three skill-learning needs are availability of learning channels, assistance in acquisition of professional licenses (cook, home care worker, barber/hairdresser) and legal knowledge training. (5)top three moral support needs are care from social workers, friendships and no discrimination from other people (no chasing away or harm). 2. Focus group discussion (results of qualitative research) (1) Focus group discussion on the welfare needs of homeless people A. The results from the focus group discussion sessions with fifteen homeless people indicate that the medical care homeless people need include free medical consultation, fee physical checkups, allowing homeless people to owe expenses when seeking medical care on holidays, resumption of National Health Insurance coverage, medical care for skin problems, cellulitis, mental problems, high blood pressure, drug or alcohol addiction, chronic diseases, strokes, anemia, gastrointestinal problems, colds, dental problems, heart diseases, internal diseases, undernourishment problems, eye problems, depression as well as rehabilitation and medical outreach. B. Daily life and economic assistance and corresponding welfare needs services The results from the focus group discussion sessions with fifteen homeless people indicate that the needs of homeless people for daily life and economic assistance include recreation, EasyCard subsidies, living expense subsidies, extended grace periods for installed payment of owed National Health Insurance premiums, National Health Insurance premium subsidies, accommodation at fixed locations, subsidies for home rentals, clothing and food, provision of shelter, EasyCard deposit subsidies, provision of affordable housing, as well as assistance in finding rental homes and cleaning. C. Employment assistance welfare needs The results from the focus group discussion sessions with fifteen homeless people indicate that the employment needs of homeless people include jobs such as holding advertisement signs, participating in parades, labor work, temporary work, janitorial work, gardening, weeding, setting up vending stands, as well as government providing employment information or opportunities and working with private enterprises to create jobs. D. Skill-learning welfare needs The results from the focus group discussion sessions with fifteen homeless people indicate that homeless people do not have urgent needs for skill learning mainly because most of them lack stable incomes and such uncertainty in life makes skill learning not an option at the moment. E. Moral support for homeless people The results from the focus group discussion sessions with fifteen homeless people indicate that the moral support homeless people need includes care from social workers and volunteers, no discrimination from people, no chasing away or water splashing, no interruption from police when they are sleeping or frequent inspections or police violence, and good relationships with family members and other homeless people. (2) Focus group discussion on homeless people with experienced social workers A. Needs of homeless people for medical care welfare services The focus group discussion sessions with four experienced social workers indicate that social workers think homeless people currently are in need of medical care for mental problems, drug or alcohol addictions, psychiatric problems, high blood pressure, external injuries, skin problems, dental problems, tuberculosis, colds, cellulitis, chronic diseases, heart diseases as well as medical outreach and allowing them to ow medical expenses. B. Needs of homeless people for daily life and economic assistance The focus group discussion sessions with four experienced social workers indicate that social workers think the daily life and economic assistance homeless people need include emergency relief funds, subsidies for certificate application, commodities, food, meals, home rentals, medical expenses, EasyCard deposit, as well as assistance in finding rental homes and acquisition of welfare status. C. Needs of homeless people for employment assistance The focus group discussion sessions with four experienced social workers indicate that social workers think the needs of homeless people for employment assistance and corresponding welfare services include jobs offered by the government, labor work, janitorial work, parade participants, temporary work, guides, artistic creators, advertisement sign holders, etc. D. Needs of homeless people for skill learning The focus group discussion sessions with four experienced social workers indicate that social workers think the needs of some homeless people for skill learning include frustration tolerance and crisis handling training. However, three social workers believe the need of homeless people for skill learning is not urgent mainly because homeless people are unable to cope with difficulties in life at the moment and therefore are less likely to think about skill learning. E. Needs of homeless people for moral support The focus group discussion sessions with four experienced social workers indicate that social workers think the needs of some homeless people for moral support include support from family members, social workers, friends, residents of the community, counselors and resource network among homeless people. Since it requires a lot of effort to win the trust of homeless people, their problems cannot be solve in a short time and the services to provide such support need endeavors from different specialists. 3. Inferred statistic conclusions (1) Differences in the welfare needs of homeless people under dissimilar background variables A. Different welfare needs between homeless people of different genders a. Some differences in the medical care welfare needs of homeless people of different genders achieve significance. b. Some differences in the daily life and economic assistance welfare needs of homeless people of different genders achieve significance. c. Some differences in the employment assistance welfare needs of homeless people of different genders achieve significance. d. The differences in the skill-learning welfare needs of homeless people of different genders do not achieve significance. e. Some differences in the moral support welfare needs of homeless people of different genders achieve significance. B. Differences in the welfare needs of homeless people of different age groups a. Some differences in the medical care welfare needs of homeless people of difference age groups achieve significance. b. Some differences in the daily life and economic assistance welfare needs of homeless people of difference age groups achieve significance. c. Some differences in the employment assistance welfare needs of homeless people of difference age groups achieve significance. d. Some differences in the skill-learning welfare needs of homeless people of difference age groups achieve significance. e. The differences in the moral support welfare needs of homeless people of difference age groups do not achieve significance. C. Differences in the welfare needs of homeless people of different marital status a. Some differences in the medical care welfare needs of homeless people of different marital status achieve significance. b. Some differences in the daily life and economic assistance welfare needs of homeless people of different marital status achieve significance. c. The differences in the employment assistance welfare needs of homeless people of different marital status do not achieve significance. d. The differences in the skill-learning welfare needs of homeless people of different marital status do not achieve significance. e. Some differences in the moral support welfare needs of homeless people of different marital status achieve significance. D. Differences in the welfare needs of homeless people with different numbers of children a. Some differences in the medical care welfare needs of homeless people with different numbers of children achieve significance. b. The differences in the daily life and economic assistance welfare of homeless people with different numbers of children do not achieve significance. c. Some differences in the employment assistance welfare needs of homeless people with different numbers of children achieve significance. d. The differences in the skill-learning welfare needs of homeless people with different numbers of children do not achieve significance. e. Some differences in the moral support welfare needs of homeless people with different numbers of children achieve significance. E. Differences in the welfare needs of homeless people of different educational backgrounds a. The differences in the medical care welfare needs of homeless people of different educational backgrounds do not achieve significance. b. Some difference in the daily life and economic assistance welfare needs of homeless people of difference educational backgrounds achieve significance. c. The differences in the employment assistance welfare needs of homeless people of different educational backgrounds do not achieve significance. d. Some difference in the skill-learning welfare needs of homeless people of difference educational backgrounds achieve significance. e. Some difference in the moral support welfare needs of homeless people of difference educational backgrounds achieve significance. F. Differences in the welfare needs of homeless people with different domiciles a. Some differences in the medical care welfare needs of homeless people with different domiciles achieve significance. b. Some differences in the daily life and economic assistance welfare needs of homeless people with different domiciles achieve significance. c. The differences in the employment assistance welfare needs of homeless people with different domiciles do not achieve significance. d. Some differences in the skill-learning welfare needs of homeless people with different domiciles achieve significance. e. The differences in the moral support welfare needs of homeless people with different domiciles do not achieve significance. (3) Analysis of the correlations the welfare needs of homeless people The correlations between the welfare need five-point scale are all positive and achieve significance. This is an indication that the welfare needs of homeless people for homeless people are highly correlated. The findings and conclusions of this study are offered as suggestions for the Department of Health, Department of Social Welfare, Department of Labor, Department of Education, Police Department and Fire Department of Taipei City as well as the Ministry of Health and Welfare to work out measures to meet the welfare needs of homeless people