Oral Presentations - Session 2A: UC 326
Presentation Type
Presentation
Faculty Mentor’s Full Name
Daisy Rooks
Faculty Mentor’s Department
Sociology
Abstract / Artist's Statement
The purpose of this project is to use qualitative content analysis to help improve the policies and practices of the Poverello Center. The Poverello Center acts as an emergency shelter and food bank for persons experiencing hunger or homelessness in the Missoula area. The Poverello Center aims to balance efficiency and compassion as it provides these services to all who need them. In order to meet this goal, the organization must have clear and enforceable policies for staff, volunteers, and clients. The researcher will work in collaboration with the staff and administration of the Poverello Center to examine the organization’s existing policies and construct a comprehensive, functional, and organized policy manual consistent with the organization’s mission and vision statements. The researcher will contact 10 to 15 homeless shelters in the Northwest United States that serve similar populations as the Poverello Center. After obtaining the policy manuals of these shelters, the researcher will use NVivo qualitative coding software to identify common themes in these manuals. The researcher will use the results of this analysis to make written policy recommendations to the Poverello Center administration. This project will benefit the organization by helping it improve its policy manual.
Category
Social Sciences
Balancing Efficiency and Compassion: Researching Best Practices for Homeless Shelter Policy Manuals
The purpose of this project is to use qualitative content analysis to help improve the policies and practices of the Poverello Center. The Poverello Center acts as an emergency shelter and food bank for persons experiencing hunger or homelessness in the Missoula area. The Poverello Center aims to balance efficiency and compassion as it provides these services to all who need them. In order to meet this goal, the organization must have clear and enforceable policies for staff, volunteers, and clients. The researcher will work in collaboration with the staff and administration of the Poverello Center to examine the organization’s existing policies and construct a comprehensive, functional, and organized policy manual consistent with the organization’s mission and vision statements. The researcher will contact 10 to 15 homeless shelters in the Northwest United States that serve similar populations as the Poverello Center. After obtaining the policy manuals of these shelters, the researcher will use NVivo qualitative coding software to identify common themes in these manuals. The researcher will use the results of this analysis to make written policy recommendations to the Poverello Center administration. This project will benefit the organization by helping it improve its policy manual.