How the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the lives of homeless young people and welfare services in three European cities: A qualitative study

Abstract

At the beginning of the year 2020, the pandemic caused by COVID-19 reached Europe. European countries implemented restrictions on movement and public life in order to contain its spread. The pandemic, as well as these policy responses, altered everyday lives for people all over Europe.
This research explores effects of the pandemic on the everyday lives and lived realities of homeless young people in three cities in different countries: Nuremberg (Germany),
Copenhagen (Denmark) and Manchester (United Kingdom). We focus on young people between the ages of 18 and 29 who have experienced homelessness. In addition, we explore how three different social welfare organisations worked to provide practical and emotional support to homeless young people during the pandemic.
The project was guided by three interrelated research questions, each addressing a different level of social experience and action:
Macro level: How did national governments in Germany, Denmark and the UK, respond to the COVID-19 pandemic in general and were there specific examples of policy responses which sought to maintain and/or enhance support for homeless young people?
Meso level – How did regional/city governmental organisations, welfare bureaucracies and welfare organisations respond to the COVID-19 pandemic in order to maintain and/or
enhance support for homeless young people?
Micro level – How did the pandemic alter the everyday lives and coping strategies of homeless young people, as well as their own sense of risks and needs?