The Experiences of Service Providers Who Care for Homeless Pregnant or Early Parenting Women.
Kimberly Jarvis, Solina Richter, Vera Caine
PMID 41148108WHAT IT FOUND
Service providers caring for homeless pregnant women described navigating punitive systems and resource gaps by extending their roles into advocacy.
They found meaning in small, incremental client successes, despite facing professional stigma and ethical distress when colleagues treated clients with judgment.
Key findings
01Providers frequently stepped outside formal job descriptions to advocate for clients, such as accompanying a mother to a bail hearing to prevent systemic harm.
02Providers reported emotional and ethical distress when mainstream services or colleagues treated homeless pregnant women with judgment or discrimination, undermining trust.
03Despite structural barriers, providers derived professional fulfillment from witnessing small, incremental steps toward stability, such as a client changing clothes or attending an appointment.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study focuses exclusively on the perspectives of service providers, not the pregnant women themselves, so it cannot report on patient outcomes or patient experiences of care. The sample was drawn from a specific city (Edmonton) during a period of economic uncertainty, which may limit the transferability of findings to other regions or contexts. The study describes the phenomenon of service provision and provider stress but does not test any interventions or strategies to improve care or reduce provider burden.
Declared interests
The work was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret this paper as evidence that specific advocacy strategies or provider behaviors improve health outcomes for homeless pregnant women. The study describes the experiences and challenges of the workforce, not the efficacy of any clinical intervention or care model.