{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,17]],"date-time":"2026-07-17T12:50:28Z","timestamp":1784292628920,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":64,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,26]],"date-time":"2024-09-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1727308800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000024","name":"Canadian Institutes of Health Research","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["PJT 166132"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["PJT 166132"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000024","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n<jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Belonging is closely associated with well-being, yet individuals with experiences of being unhoused are likely to experience social exclusion and challenges with developing a sense of belonging. Engagement in meaningful activity has been linked to belonging; however, there are no focused studies exploring experiences of how engaging in meaningful activities influences belonging. Meaningful activities are things we do that bring value to our lives.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n<jats:title>Purpose<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>To explore how engaging in meaningful activities may influence experiences of belonging following homelessness through a secondary analysis of qualitative interviews.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n<jats:title>Method<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Using interviews conducted in a community-based participatory action study exploring the transition to housing following homelessness (n = 19), we conducted a thematic analysis using the method described by Braun and Clarke. Participants were recruited through communication with local organizations supporting individuals with lived and living experiences of being unhoused as well as through presentations at drop-in organizations. An intentional effort was made to recruit diverse participants regarding housing status, age, and gender. Inductive analysis was used to conduct initial coding, focusing on belonging and engaging in meaningful activities. We then analyzed the codes abductively, using Bourdieu\u2019s Social Capital Theory to inform this analysis.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n<jats:title>Findings<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The overarching essence generated in our analysis was: \u201cI don\u2019t feel like I belong\u2026everything in the world is not for me\u2026it\u2019s for people with\u2026enough money to\u2026enjoy those things\u201d. Within this overall essence, we generated three themes: 1) Human connection: \u201cbeing where I am with people who care about me, I actually feel good\u201d; 2) Social exclusion: being a \u201cregular member of society\u201d; and 3) Non-human connection: \u201cmy cats\u2026are like my kids to me.\u201d Participants described numerous contextual factors that challenged them as they sought belonging following homelessness, including financial limitations and other societal factors.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec005\">\n<jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Our findings suggest that meaningful activity was an important pathway to belonging for participants in this study.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0310701","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,26]],"date-time":"2024-09-26T17:28:08Z","timestamp":1727371688000},"page":"e0310701","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Belonging through meaningful activity in the transition from unhoused to housed"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"19","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9860-1925","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Patti","family":"Plett","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rebecca","family":"Gewurtz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Abe","family":"Oudshoorn","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Cheryl","family":"Forchuk","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Carrie Anne","family":"Marshall","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,26]]},"reference":[{"key":"pone.0310701.ref001","volume-title":"Social networks and social support.","author":"G Johnson","year":"2014"},{"key":"pone.0310701.ref002","author":"Centre for Addictions and Mental Health [CAMH], Canadian Council Social Development [CCSD].","year":"2011","journal-title":"Turning the Key: Assessing housing and related supports for persons living with mental health problems and illness"},{"key":"pone.0310701.ref003","article-title":"Occupational experiences of homelessness: A systematic review and meta-aggregation.","author":"CA Marshall","year":"2019","journal-title":"Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy"},{"key":"pone.0310701.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.59962\/9780774865135","volume-title":"A complex exile: Homelessness and social exclusion in Canada","author":"E. 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