The Quality of Life of South African Homeless Adults Aged 50 and Older in Housing First Facilities: Implications for Service Delivery

Background: The population of homeless adults is on the rise, yet little is known about their well-being and functioning. With the exception of Ghana and Nigeria, there is a hiatus in the existing literature on studies conducted in African countries, focusing on homelessness among adults aged 50 years and older. Aim: To determine how homeless adults (50 and older) in Housing First Facilities in the City of Tshwane, South Africa, perceive their quality of life. Methods: The study followed a quantitative approach to determine the quality of life of homeless adults in Housing First facilities using the World Health Organization’s Quality of Life Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF), which measures the quality of life based on the physical and psychological well-being, social relationships, and environment domains on a 5-point response scale. Data was collected from two Housing First facilities within the City of Tshwane, and the WHOQOL-BREF was administered face-to-face with the participating homeless adults. Results: Overall, participants perceived their quality of life (M=3.26) as neither poor nor good and were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with their health (M=3.55). Participants (n=38) scored the highest in the psychological domain (M=3.77), followed by the physical (M=3.64) and environment (M=3.32) domains. The social relationships (M=3.22) domain scored the lowest. The results revealed that participants had a moderate perception of their quality of life across all domains. Considerations and recommendations: The results suggest that the quality of life of homeless adults in Housing First facilities needs improvement. Based on the Biopsychosocial (BPS) perspective, recommendations for improvement are offered to target personal and structural barriers.