Transcript presented on Homeless Drug Users` and Technology

Dr Caral Stevenson, Professor Jo Neale
Oxford Brookes University
[email protected]
• Environments matter
• Perceptions of homeless
people’s use of technology
• Dispel some myths
• What current research is
saying
• Social networks, computers
& the internet in hostels
• Our research project
• Common misconception:
• Homeless are not technologically aware
• Have no interest in technology
• If they were interested they would have nowhere to
access it
• Recent research says otherwise…
• 96% of homeless young people in L.A. frequently use the
internet (Young & Rice, 2011)
• Street homeless people in Philadelphia – half reported
computer use in past 30 days (Eyrich-Garg, 2011)
• Maintain social connectedness, conduct personal business and
for leisure (Eyrich-Garg, 2011)
• Social networking, chat facilities, dating websites , email, search
for employment, weather, housing, health conditions, maps,
recovery meetings, CVs (Eyrich-Garg, 2011)
• Research found those with more severe drug use histories – less
likely to have used computers (Eyrich-Garg, 2011)
•
Breaking Free Online is an Internetbased treatment & recovery
programme
•
Can enable people to resolve the
psychological & lifestyle issues that
are driving their dependence on
alcohol & drugs
•
Employs a wide range of multimedia
formats
•
Contains a structured assessment &
wide range of evidence-based
psychosocial interventions
•
Can be used as computer-assisted
therapy, enabling practitioners,
volunteers or peer mentors to deliver
structured interventions
• 30 drug users
• Heroin, crack cocaine, cocaine powder, cannabis, Methadone, Subutex,
benzodiazepines and alcohol
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15 Mentors (St. Mungo’s staff members)
15 St. Mungo’s hostels across London & a smaller city
25 male, 5 female
23-62 years, average 43 years
Ethnically diverse
Range of experience with technology
• 28/30 had computer & Internet access provided by the hostel
• 26/30 had a mobile phone, several of these were Internet enabled,
some previously had Internet enabled phones
• 9/30 had flat screen TVs, 7 had laptops, some had DVD players & 1
had an e-reader, also some had a games console.
• Used internet for: Email, jobs, social networks such as Facebook,
Twitter & MySpace, music, film, maps, Google, Wikipedia
• 12/30 used Facebook, one was about to sign up, one used Google
plus, one used Twitter & MySpace
• 7/30 watched pornography online
• 7/30 had not used computers previously
• 30/30 showed interest in technology
• Finding old friends:
• “When I was a kid I used to come to England like every summer for a couple
of months, in a sort of international school, … it was really fun when
Facebook came out you know, I decided to type in all these names and you
know … they were just all there on Facebook, so that’s really good.” (P9 Age
25)
• Keeping in touch:
• “Yes pretty handy really, better than writing a letter and waiting for another
one coming down you know, so yeah it’s good for keeping in touch with
people you know.” (P12 Age 40)
• Desire to become involved with social networks:
• “Yes I would like to, I need to get in touch with a few old people, you know?
Because it has become so common it would be a good way to see them, to get
in touch with them.” (P7 Age 32)
• Generally use of computers was for the internet
• Some however did use word processing programmes for writing
their life story, writing poetry, keeping a journal, college work
& writing a blog
• “You know, I am lucky I have got one but do you know what, I wish I could
know how to use it, and you know like all the Word things like you do. I
have got a thing that you plug in & I’ve got my story on that that I’m
writing.” (P13 Age 47)
• Participants’ main use of the computer was to access the Internet
• Some were very familiar with the Internet
• “I use it for online banking, so I’m not, as I said I’m not a technophobe, I’m
not scared of it.” (P22 Age 39)
• Some had basic skills and tended to use the internet for things
they had become familiar with, YouTube being the most popular
• Some had no Internet skills. Seven participants had not used
computers prior to starting the BFO sessions. These sessions
began by setting up an email address – necessary to register
for BFO
• Safety – some felt that it was unsafe to have details online
• Inexperience – Barrier
• “I would like to learn more about it, do you know what I mean, how to like do
things on it and that because with me not being able to do the basic things, I
just wouldn’t even go on it at all.” (P12 Age 40)
• Cost – some felt technology was too expensive and so was not
accessible for them
• Frustration – some didn’t have patience and some had to use poor
quality equipment which failed regularly
• Hostel training was sometimes provided in some hostels but trainers
weren't always helpful with specific needs or only visited weekly
• Some hostel computers were dirty, computer rooms were ‘hogged’ by
certain people leaving other residents feeling unwelcome. In other
hostels, residents were too ‘nosy’ or invaded privacy
• Personality
• “Yeah, you can use it when you want, there’s no making appointments,
there’s no clash with personalities.” (P1, Age 62)
• Useful compared to a support group
• “When I do go to my crack recovery group I do interact a lot and have a
bit of banter as well, but I have noticed some people falling asleep in the
background. With this one, at least you’re doing something, you are
interacting, so I think that is the advantage using this method of therapy
rather than sitting in a semicircle.” (P4, Age 46)
• A good place to start
• “At this point now I’m looking to sort myself out, so I’m just looking to get
my brain working again, and just start getting into things, keep myself
occupied, start opening myself up a little bit.” (P8, Age 32)
• A new and different approach to recovery
• Learning – about recovery as well as about computers
• Something to do – kills boredom
• Client takes control of computer
• Support from mentor
• Helps staff get to know clients
• “I was able to learn quite a lot about him in a short amount of time, more
than just having a key work session, just chatting. Probably because there’s
quite specific questions that I wouldn’t have just come out with probably on
a first key work session.” (M3)
• “It’s a nice prompt for a worker… If you was with a difficult client, that
would be quite a nice prompt to use & sort of [a] tool to get somebody
speaking, & because it’s the computer asking the questions & not you.”
(M3)
• Client computers – Essential
• Many hostel residents are online and need an environment
that enables them to maintain it
• Computer & Internet support – Essential – doesn’t have
to be structured classes
• Sometimes specific help is needed
• Using an online recovery programme can enable
homeless drug users to benefit from technology and
assist them in addressing their substance use