Occupational needs and priorities of women experiencing homelessness: Les besoins et priorités occupationnels des femmes en situation d'itinérance.

Background: Women in unstable housing or who are homeless experience disruptions of occupational engagement and performance. Little is known about their perspective on their occupational needs and priorities.

Purpose: This study aimed to determine how patterns of occupational engagement and performance are facilitated or hindered by personal factors and resources available to sheltered women.

Method: A participatory, descriptive mixed-methods study design was used. Twenty-one residents were interviewed using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure, the Goal Attainment Scale, and a time-use inventory. Nineteen residents participated in semistructured qualitative interviews. Qualitative data were analysed using interpretive description.

Findings: Participants spent most time on sleep and passive leisure and identified occupational performance issues and goals related to active leisure and employment. Participants' occupational lives were described as transitional journeys comprising five subthemes: seeking safety and stability, being sheltered, shaping one's identity, developing resilience, and engaging in contemplation, contribution, and connectedness through occupation.

Implications: Trauma-informed and strengths-based approaches are recommended for this population. Future research should study the implementation of occupation-based interventions in community settings.