7 - (IOP 40) Evaluating the Implementation Process and Impact of Novel Support Groups on Sense of Community and Burnout Among Residents and Staff in a Shelter Setting

Social isolation, loneliness, and lack of sense of community are significant challenges affecting people experiencing homelessness (PEH) (Bertram et al., 2021; PLoS Medicine Editors, 2008). Furthermore, Sanders & Brown (2015) found that among PEH, 61% felt “lonely,” 37% “isolated,” and 28% “invisible to others.” Additionally, it has been found that social isolation and loneliness contribute to mental illness (Vanderhorst & McLaren, 2005). Beyond PEH, social services staff who work at shelters also struggle with sense of community and high rates of burnout. According to surveys conducted by the Homelessness Research Institute (2023) and the National Homeless Services Workforce Study (2023), when asked whether there was high staff turnover, 71% of shelter staff responded “yes”, and 29% responded “no”. Furthermore, 22% of respondents reported that they were actively looking for a new job, 18% planned to quit within twelve months, and 30% often considered quitting. This was reportedly due to staff shortages/high turnover, fighting against the system, lack of resources to do their job, low pay/unfair compensation, feeling unable to help/do enough, and burnout or compassion fatigue. In the present study, we evaluated five modules of seven-session novel support groups at a medical respite shelter in Chicago. The medical respite shelter primarily housed individuals (all over 18 years of age) with physical impairments who had been recently discharged from a hospital and were currently experiencing an episode of homelessness. Our first objective was to evaluate the implementation process of these support groups within a medical respite shelter through the use of self-reported participant satisfaction. Our second objective was to evaluate how the support groups impacted sense of community utilizing the BSCS (Brief Sense of Community Scale; Peterson et al., 2008) for residents and staff, and burnout utilizing the BAT (Burnout Assessment Tool; Schaufeli et al., 2019) for staff. Activities in each resident and staff support group session targeted mechanisms of sense of belonging (i.e., needs fulfillment, group membership, influence, and emotional connection; Peterson et al.. 2008). Activities in each staff support group session also targeted mechanisms of burnout (i.e., exhaustion, emotional impairment, cognitive impairment, and mental distance; Schaufeli et al., 2019). Each support group module was centered around a specific theme according to resident and staff preferences (e.g., art, music, cooking, social action, mindfulness), and each session utilized techniques pulled from cognitive behavioral and acceptance and commitment therapy frameworks. We will present a longitudinal analysis depicting the change in participant scores (individuals' and aggregate scores) for BSCS and BAT, as well as group satisfaction, to highlight changes over the course of each module and throughout the five modules of the entire program. Qualitative feedback from participants, barriers and facilitators to implementation, and recommendations for future work will also be presented.