Gambling and Homelessness: Conducting research Overseas

1. Gambling and Homelessness: Conducting research Overseas Lesley McMahon 14/10/05 Joint Centre for Scottish Housing Research The Geddes Institute University of Dundee

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

3. 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)

4. 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

5. 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!

6. 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

7. Reflection on process • Need to estimate time better • Need to learn to drive

8. 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

9. 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.”

10. Client Non-disclosure Stigma Shame Fear of denial of service Needs not meet Why the different representations of the problem? HOMELESSNESS & HOUSING SECTOR Worker Not identifying • Not on radar • Inadequate skills to respond (perceived or actual) Problem gambling de-prioritised

11. 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