Lived Experiences of Prolonged Beneficiaries of the Oro Alagang Pamilya Program in Cagayan De Oro City: Basis for Program Enhancement

Abstract

This study was done to find out why some homeless beneficiaries of the Oro Alagang Pamilya Program are prolonging their stay as beneficiaries. The current duration of the program is 12 months. Each beneficiary is provided interventions and services within this period. Some families are observed to have marked improvement in their life conditions; however, some others have very little to no improvement at all. The researcher used a qualitative, phenomenological method of study. Three sets of participants were engaged in this study, the heads of families, a few children, and the handling social workers. The data gathering methods included focused-group discussion, in-depth interviews, and key informant interviews.Three themes came out after the data analysis, which are, experience of trauma, difficulty in complying with the requirements, and prolonged stay in the streets. The major difficulty experienced by the clients and the handling social workers were establishing their legal identities and to prove their residency so they could avail of high impact interventions such as permanent housing. Their experience of trauma, on the other hand, made it difficult for them to fully maximize the interventions provided to them..Despite the challenges, the prolonged beneficiaries were mostly grateful for the permanent housing service because it gave them a sense of permanence and security. But more than the physical house, the Program provided them the opportunity to hope for a better life for their children