Caught in a machine that de-emphasizes human potential: Using Goffman’s theory of the total institution to understand service provider perspectives on boredom among unhoused persons

• Boredom is a central feature of the experience of homelessness influencing well-being. • Providers recognize boredom as a serious problem in the lives of unhoused persons. • Boredom emerges in the lives of unhoused persons due to the way in which services are structured. • Services for unhoused persons can be conceptualized as a closed, institutional system. • The rigidness of this institutional environment contributes to moral distress in providers. Boredom has been identified as a factor affecting the lives of individuals during and following homelessness, yet no known studies have explored this experience from the perspectives of service providers. To address this gap, we conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with 20 service providers working in shelters, drop-in programs, and housing services in two communities in Ontario, Canada. We analyzed our data using reflexive thematic analysis, guided by Goffman’s theory of the ‘staff world’ in his concept of the ‘total institution.’ The central essence characterizing our analysis was: Caught in a machine that de-emphasizes human potential. This essence is expressed through three themes: 1) “I think boredom is huge;” 2) “we just keep going back, and keep trying, and keep trying, and keep trying;” and 3) Housing is “…a shell that you could, with encouragement…potentially flourish in.” We conclude that the profound and pervasive boredom described in this research and in previous studies is symptomatic of broader structural problems created through inadequate responses to supporting individuals living with mental illness in our communities, contributing to rising and chronic homelessness. We argue that institutionalization of persons living with mental illness, which ended due to the neglect observed in such settings, has been replaced by an equally neglectful system of service provision taking the form of housing and homelessness services. We advocate for a system that not only provides basic resources for survival but also supports thriving through the provision of housing and opportunities for mitigating boredom through access to meaningful activities.