Twenty Tasmanian stories

This paper describes service user input and participation in homelessness research, based on a project conducted by Anglicare Tasmania's Social Action and Research Centre (Pryor, 2011). The project involved interviews with twenty people who have direct experience of both homelessness and mental illness. Findings illuminate common early life experiences, causes of homelessness, strategies people use to protect their mental health and housing (personal prevention advice), and personal requests (recommendations to help prevent homelessness). As the recommendations are grounded directly in the homeless experiences of people, they are highly practical. Conclusions highlight the merits of involving service users in the delivery of homelessness services and in the development of homelessness research.