An investigation of social service requirements towards to the homeless in context of ecosystem approach: Sample of İstanbul

In today's societies, homelessness has become a social issue in every society regardless of the level of development of the societies. The phenomenon of homelessness has changed into a form that can be defined as the new phenomenon of homelessness in the literature. The emphasis in the new phenomenon of homelessness is that all segments of society may have the risk of homelessness. Economic crises occurring on a global scale and new developments emerging at the level of social policies support the new phenomenon of homelessness. Migration from developing or underdeveloped regions to developed regions can also be included in this phenomenon of homelessness. Studies reveal that the factors that cause homelessness are domestic relations, economic, factors and unemployment. The emergence of the phenomenon of homelessness for different reasons and the experience of the homelessness at different levels reveals the necessity of holistic socio-political, professional and civil society applications in solving the problem of homelessness. The emergence of the phenomenon of homelessness for different reasons and the experience of the homelessness at different levels reveals the necessity of holistic socio-political, professional and civil society applications in solving the problem of homelessness. Social service science and profession, which stands out with its multidisciplinary nature and professional aspect in solving social issues in a society, has a significant impact on the level of social policy, professional development and social organization. The Social Work profession implements its interventions in the specified context in ensuring the well-being of individuals with social problems and within the environment with an individual understanding. At this level, the basic scientific and professional theory of the profession is ecosystem theory. The main arguments of the ecosystem are the legal processes, the accessibility and diversity of services, the problem-solving capacities of professional staff, social policies, institutional structures, and cultural perspectives within the social work profession in a community. The research has a qualitative pattern on the basis of phenomenology. Within the scope of the research, a semi-structured questionnaire was made with homeless individuals living in Istanbul and the officials of social support institutions in Istanbul and the professional staff working in the institutions. In the interviews, questions including the principles of adaptation, resource cycle, commitment, success and cultural perspective, which are the main arguments of ecosystem theory at the level of the meaning of the phenomenon of homelessness, were asked. As a result of the research, it is seen that the causes of homelessness arise at the level of domestic problems and economic insufficiency. It was observed that social supports to homeless individuals are not organized on the basis of social services, services offered within the scope of homelessness services do not meet the holistic needs of individuals, but the focus was on basic needs like small cash benefits, food and clothing, etc. There are no employment, psychological support and vocational training on the basis of rehabilitation that will change the lives of individuals, besides, there is no shelter service belonging to public institutions, institutional organizations at the level of accommodation are provided and limited by NGOs, and the law does not meet the needs of homeless individuals on the basis of rights. It is observed that the professional staff identify their professional interventions with institutional functioning, the aids cause problems to be postponed at the social aid level, there are no studies to increase social awareness in the field of homelessness, and inter-institutional dialogue is lacking. Homeless people are excluded by other individuals living in the community, citing security requirements. There is no institutional policy for homeless people. The existing services are insufficient to link homeless individuals and society. This makes it difficult for homeless individuals to adapt to society. Resources are insufficient and not used effectively. Social service-based homelessness services are needed, especially legal regulations. The research reveals that the homelessness ecosystem could not be established in Istanbul. Different organizational structures are needed to solve the problem of new homelessness rather than traditional aid organizations.