Supporting homeless adults to develop literacy and numeracy skills: what

The evidence presented in this chapter has a number of implications for those seeking to support homeless people to develop their literacy and numeracy skills. Most significant is homeless people’s apparent exclusion from formal learning opportunities. To address this, as organisations which have regular contact with homeless people, homelessness agencies could perform an important role in promoting and encouraging the take up of learning opportunities where these are available in the local area (for those service users who feel motivated, confident and able to do so). However, recognising the range of barriers to participation in formal learning activities and wider exclusion

from training and skill development (for example, due to long term labour market exclusion), there is arguably a more significant role for such organisations in the direct facilitation of literacy and numeracy learning opportunities within their less formal and more familiar settings. As such there is potential for such organisations to themselves function as educational institutions, alongside the support they provide to address the multiple and complex needs experienced by many homeless people.

For those organisations seeking to develop literacy and numeracy provision for homeless adults, the above has a number of further implications. First, in light of the varied needs, motivations and capabilities of homeless learners, a range of flexible and tailored learning options may be required. For some, small class sizes will work well as this allows support to be better tailored to individual learners, and can be less intimidating to attend. Luby and Welch (2006) also emphasise the benefits of group learning activities for homeless adults including the opportunity to develop communication and social interaction skills. For others, one-to-one support may be required particularly where homeless people lack confidence or are anxious about participating in large groups (Luby and Welch, 2006; Olisa et al., 2010). In any provision, recognising the difficulty of sustaining educational engagement for those with complex needs and chaotic lifestyles, adults should also be supported to ‘dip in and out of provision as their ability to participate fluctuates’ (Porter et al., 2005 in O’Grady, and Atkin, 2006). The above also highlights the importance of support to overcome situational barriers (such as transportation costs, a lack of quiet spaces to learn, and the need to attend appointments). Additional support for those with specialist learning needs (such as dyslexia) may also be required.

Successfully engaging homeless adults in learning opportunities is also dependent upon them seeing the relevance and value of it. Good practice therefore requires understanding individual motivations for learning and linking ‘learning opportunities to individual interests and goals’ is therefore vital if homeless people are to engage in and benefit from any education and training offered (Barton et al., 2006; Dumoulin and Jones, 2014). Whilst for some engaging and succeeding in more formal provision will be appealing, particularly as they seek to improve their position in the labour market, others may be less motivated where such formal provision is not perceived to be relevant to their interests or goals. Given the distance of some homeless people from the labour market, ‘narrowly focused vocational education policies and programmes…[are] insufficient or inappropriate’ (Golding, 2012, 142).

Proponents of a social literacies approach argue that provision should be rooted in the ways in which adults use (or want to use) literacy in their day-to-day life, rather than based on standardised provision which may hold little relevance for individual learners. As Castleton (2001) argues, ‘literacy can be developed as a social practice based on a curriculum that is relevant because it is rooted in why people use literacy rather than why some others think they need it’. Similarly, Golding (2012, 144) concludes that for those with the ‘most negative attitudes toward learning, pedagogies based on communities of [people’s] informal practice have been found to be effective.’ Embedding learning in other activities can be particularly effective in helping adults to recognise the need for and develop the kinds of skills which will help them in their day-to-day lives. The literature also highlights a significant role for professionals and peers in motivating homeless people to improve their literacy and numeracy, helping

them to see the relevance of developing these skills in their everyday lives and keeping them motivated to participate in learning activities (Dumoulin and Jones, 2014). Good relationships between tutors and pupils are often fundamental to successful learning experiences. There is a need for supportive and patient teachers, taking the time to listen to the learners’ needs and tailor support around them. Tutors also need a non-judgemental attitude and understanding of the backgrounds and experiences of homeless people. Homelessness practitioners may be uniquely positioned to understand the needs of and build rapport with homeless learners compared to mainstream adult learning providers. As such, staff working in homelessness organisations could also play an important role in encouraging and supporting homeless people to recognise that they might benefit from and are capable of improving their literacy and numeracy skills. Here it might be necessary to sensitively help people to identify literacy and numeracy skills need particularly if this is likely to make moving into and sustaining work more difficult, which may involve challenging those who do not recognise a need to improve these skills. However, it is important that this is done sensitively, avoiding a ‘deficit’ approach instead emphasising the fact that all adults could benefit from improving these skills in particular contexts – as we are all presented with unfamiliar literacy and numeracy demands in our day-to-day life both inside and outside of the labour market.

4.5Summary

In this chapter I have shown that literacy and numeracy learning can take various forms – from formal standardised provision offered by adult colleges and training providers to informal learning in the workplace. The evidence

presented above, however, suggests that factors existing at individual, institutional and national policy levels present barriers to homeless people’s engagement in opportunities to improve these skills. To compensate for homeless adults’ exclusion from opportunities to develop their literacy and numeracy skills, third sector organisations supporting homeless adults potentially have an important role to play. However, recognition of the interaction of institutional factors with those operating at individual and national policy levels suggests some of the potential factors which might impact on the extent and nature of literacy and numeracy in these settings. Several aspects of good practice emerge from the available evidence which organisations seeking to support homeless learners might wish to consider. In subsequent chapters these are considered in light of new data emerging from interviews with a range of practitioners working in organisations supporting homeless adults.