A tale from the Glass Dome: A narrative analysis of social housing, living conditions and recovery

Abstract

Abstract This article explores how housing circumstances in Norway may influence recovery for persons experiencing co-occurring mental health and substance abuse problems. In Norway, the provision of housing for people who are disadvantaged in the housing market is a municipal undertaking. National guidelines state that services should be recovery-oriented and enhance quality of life. Eight persons who received services from a community outreach team participated in the study. Data were generated through individual interviews and analyzed using a narrative approach. The participants’ everyday lives seemed solitary and isolated. Their housing situation and the housing market, coupled with public guidelines and practices, appeared to result in a situation of deadlock. Referring to a glass dome, the authors propose a situation where people see themselves as secluded from others, literally and metaphorically.

Keywords

• Social housing
• mental health
• substance abuse
• narrative analysis
• recovery
• community outreach work