Institutional Review Board

FORM A:
APPLICATION FOR REVIEW OF RESEARCH INVOLVING
HUMAN SUBJECTS

INVESTIGATORS ASSURANCE: By submitting this protocol, I attest that I am aware of

the applicable principles, policies, regulations, and laws governing the
protection of human subjects in research and that I will be guided by them in the
conduct of this research.

Title of Research:
Community Strengthening by Homeless Outreach

Name Department Email CITI

Training
Complete
d*

Principal
Jose Gonzalez
Computer

ght164@mocs.utc.edu X
Investigator Science
Other Jordan
Madrigal Physics
flj111@mocs.utc.edu
X
Investigator Barbara Sevilla Engineering hlz321@mocs.utc.edu X
Other
Chloe Chross
Biology dvf381@mocs.utc.edu
X
Investigator Allison Dearing Sociology hxt837@mocs.utc.edu X
Faculty Advisor Ann Yoachim Chancellors Sfz628@utc.edu X
Office

Anticipated dates of research project: March 15, 2017 through April 15, 2017

Type of Research:

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 Dissertation/Thesis Class Project
Faculty Research Other (Please explain):

If this research pertains to a grant opportunity**: Grant Start Date:

**Attach grant proposal narrative & COI disclosure Funding Agency:

Attach the following items to the application (when applicable):

Any research instruments (e.g., tests, surveys, questionnaires, protocols, or

other data collection instruments)
All informed consent documents (see www.utc.edu/irb for sample
informed consent documents)
Permission from applicable authorities (principals of schools, teachers of
classrooms, etc.) to conduct your research at their facilities
**Grant proposal narrative & annual Conflict of Interest Disclosure (If
funded research only.)

*New Training Requirement

As of January 1, 2017, all investigators conducting research with human

subjects will be required to complete the Human Subject Research Basic
online training course through the Collaborative Institutional Training
Initiative (CITI) prior to receiving IRB approval.
Visit http://www.utc.edu/research-integrity/institutional-review-board/
training.php for more information.

Submit all applications by email to instrb@utc.edu.

Important Reminders:

All student applications must be either signed by the faculty advisor then
scanned and emailed, OR emailed directly from the faculty advisor.
Allow at least 2 weeks for IRB processing from date of submission.

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 Applications must be filled out completely and clearly in order to receive
review.
You may not begin your research until it has been officially approved by
the IRB.

Purpose/Objectives of Research: Briefly state, in non-technical language, the

purpose of the research and the problem to be investigated. When possible, state
specific hypotheses to be tested or specific research questions to be answered. For
pilot or exploratory studies, discuss the way in which the information obtained will be
used in future studies so that the long term benefits can be assessed.

We aim to learn how to strengthen the relationship between UTC students and
the greater Chattanooga area community by aiding the homeless and
connecting with those in need. The focus is on understanding the perceptions
people have regarding homelessness and gaining understanding of
homelessness in Chattanooga. We plan to learn from organizations like Family
Promise of Greater Chattanooga, Chattanooga Room in the Inn, Chattanooga
Rescue Mission, and Community Kitchen about how they envision increased
student involvement and overall community engagement.

We also seek to learn from the UTC student body their perceptions and general
disposition towards homelessness in general in the greater Chattanooga area.
This will be the first stage of an exploratory study. We hope the information
gained from this research will be used in the future to develop ways to increase
student involvement in volunteering with the homeless.

Relevant Background and Rationale for the Research: This section should
present the context of the work by explaining the relation of the proposed research
to previous investigations in the field. Include citations for relevant research. Please
include at least twice as many peer reviewed articles as lay publications.

According to the National Health Care for the Homeless Council, A homeless
individual is defined in section 330(h)(5)(A) as an individual who lacks housing
(without regard to whether the individual is a member of a family), including an
individual whose primary residence during the night is a supervised public or
private facility (e.g., shelters) that provides temporary living accommodations,
and an individual who is a resident in transitional housing. A homeless person is
an individual without permanent housing who may live on the streets; stay in a
shelter, mission, single room occupancy facilities, abandoned building or vehicle;
or in any other unstable non-permanent situation.

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According to the Chattanooga Rescue Mission, there are around 600 homeless
people in the greater Chattanooga area on any given day. The Chattanooga
Community Kitchen gained information from local service providers highlighting
that over 4,000 people experience homelessness each year in Chattanooga.
There are over 1,000 homeless children in public schools. Over the last several
years, the number of homeless families has increased nearly 300%.

In 2015, Chattanooga was ranked 25 spots above Detroit - the city with highest
rate of homelessness. Not only is there a high rate of homelessness in the
Chattanooga area, but there is a cognitive bias known as the availability
heuristic that causes people to overestimate the prevalence of negative
characteristics in the homeless population (Tversky and Kahneman 1973). This is
caused by the limited objective information about homelessness most people
have (Lee, Link, and Toro 1991). Perceptions of homelessness are most often
based off of a few visible homeless people that are salient because of unusually
dangerous, disruptive, or unaesthetic behavior or appearance.

There is significant evidence, through our own UTC student interviews in the Fall
semester of 2016, that UTC student perceptions of homelessness are often
subjective. These subjective perceptions lead to generalizations that most if not
all homeless people are homeless because they stopped pushing or gave
up, and that homeless present some threat to safety in the downtown
Chattanooga area. In a study conducted by Barret A. Lee, Sue Hinze Jones,
and David W. Lewis in 1990, 58% of about 817 adults representative of all U.S.
households blamed society for those who succumb to homelessness. The
authors write that a plausible explanation might simply be that most Americans
may simply be unable to imagine that anyone would choose to endure the
hardship of life on the streets.

The truth is that causes of homelessness are far more complex than an individual
simply giving up, or failing to break free of an addiction. As Paula Goering,
George Tolomiczenko, Katherine Boydell, and Donald Wasylenki write, Early
experiences of not having a secure and stable place to live seem to make it
harder over the long term to regain and maintain housing once it has been lost.

In an article written by Jonathan D. Brown, Lee Bone, Laura Gillis, Louise Treherne,
Kevin Lindamood, and Linda Marsden, evidence shows that as a result of
students service experiences, the perspective of charity (i.e., what services do
people need and how can we provide more of them?) changes and develops
into a greater understanding of justice (i.e., what factors are responsible for
homelessness in contemporary society and what policies and practices can
reduce or end this problem?). That means that the students perceptions
changed positively. Furthermore, they conclude that academia and
organizations serving the homeless are capable of sustainable collaboration that
simultaneously educates students and serves a vital role in the community.

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Paula Mayock, Mary Louise Corr and Eoin OSullivan highlight that [homeless
young peoples] engagement with prosocial peers and continued school
attendance were found to significantly increase the likelihood of a stable exit [of
homelessness], and that help from others - particularly from family, friends and
professional helpers - was a critical enabler to their transition to stable housing.

Methods/Procedures: Briefly discuss, in non-technical language, the research

methods which directly involve use of human subjects. Discuss how the methods
employed will allow the investigator to address his/her hypotheses and/or research
question(s).

This research project will investigate the preexisting notions surrounding the
homeless community in and around the Chattanooga area. The research will
involve discussions with community members about their experience with the
homeless, including five non-profit organizations, the Chattanooga Mayors
Office, fifteen University of Tennessee Chattanooga students and five homeless
people identified by the organization to be good candidates to speak with. The
study will be conducted during the spring semester of 2017 from March to April of
2017.

Interviews

The interviews will be conducted in groups of two, with one interviewer speaking
and the other taking detailed notes. With the consent of the party being
interviewed, we will record audio for subtleties in responses such as tonality, pitch
and pausing. The purpose of the interviews is to learn more about the
preconceived notions surrounding the homeless community in Chattanooga
from differing perspectives. We will be speaking with non-profits, the Mayors
Office, UTC students and five homeless people identified by the organizations.
We hope that through speaking with some members of the community in this
way, we are able to identify key personnel to speak with regarding the homeless
community. The notes and audio will then be uploaded to a secure Google
Drive folder for effective distribution between the study supervisor and the
researchers. Researchers will look for deeper ways to grow community by
connecting UTC students with homeless.

We will ask leading questions for personal responses to four main themes of
community development:

Experience
Have you ever experienced homelessness?
How does knowledge of homelessness affect you on a day-to-day basis
Perceptions
How do you think your perceptions of homelessness compare with
mainstream societys perceptions of homelessness?
How do you think a homeless persons struggle affects him or her? You?

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Community
What is community? How does it grow?
What kind of, if any, community exists between down town Chattanooga
and UTC?
How would you like to see your community be more engaged with aiding
the homeless?
Involvement
Do you believe misperceptions affect community involvement? If you
could increase general awareness of homelessness, how would you do it?

Subject Population: List the size of population to be used, and check if any of the
populations listed apply to the study. Discuss criteria of selection or exclusion,
population from which they will be selected, and duration of involvement. NOTE:
Federal guidelines require selection of subjects be equitable within the exclusions,
and subjects meeting the criteria cannot be discriminated against for gender, race,
social or financial status, or any other reason.

Describe Sample and Recruitment Method:

We will conduct key informant interviews with selected local non-profit and
government leaders. Through the course of two weeks, a relatively equal
number of female and male UTC, on-campus students will be asked to consent
to our interviews.

Approximate Number of Subjects:

We will be interviewing the following

Administrators from the following 5 Non-profit Organizations:

1) Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition

2) Family Promise of Greater Chattanooga
3) Chattanooga Community Kitchen
4) The Chattanooga Rescue Mission
5) Chattanooga Room in the Inn

A convenience sample of 15 University of Tennessee Chattanooga

students
The Mayors Office
Five homeless people identified by the organizations above

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Vulnerable Subjects Include (check if applicable):

Minors (under 18)

Prisoners

Pregnant Women

Handicapped

Mentally Disabled Persons

Describe additional safeguards that are included in the study to protect the
welfare of any vulnerable subjects:

Will Health Information be reviewed or collected during the course of this study?

*YES X NO

*If YES, visit www.utc.edu/irb to download and complete Form H Research Involving
Protected Health Information.

Informed Consent: Describe the consent process and attach all consent
documents. See www.utc.edu/irb for sample informed consent forms and complete
information regarding informed consent. All research must be conducted with the
informed consent (signed or unsigned, as required) of all participants.

The organizations and human subjects will be informed of all the details of the
research. The students will discuss the procedures of the research to five
organizations as well as the human subjects before the interviews. Researchers
will take notes during interviews and possibly some recordings if given permission
to do so. Consent forms will be provided prior to the interview process (see
Appendix 1).

Incentives: Indicate whether or not subjects are to be paid, how and when they
will be paid, amount, and the rationale for payment. The proposed payment should

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be commensurate with the time required for participation, travel expenses, and/or
inconvenience assumed by the subject, but should not be so great as to constitute
undue influence on an individual to assume risks of study participation that would
not otherwise be undertaken.

We will offer no incentives.

Risks/Benefits to Participants and Precautions to Be Taken: This section

should discuss all possible risks and discomforts from participation in the study,
indicating both severity and likelihood of occurrence for each. Risks may range from
the physical to the psychological, including inconvenience, travel, or boredom, and
loss of privacy and confidentiality. The methods that will be used to minimize these
risks should also be discussed. If subjects are vulnerable populations, or if risks are
more than minimal, please describe what additional safeguards will be taken. This
section should also discuss the potential benefits of the research. List any benefit to
the participants themselves, contribution to the field of knowledge, or benefit to
society as a whole. Indicate if there is no direct benefit to participants.

All risks are minimal. There will be minimal contact between the homeless and
the researchers. Contact between homeless people and researchers will first be
vetted by the non-profit organizations, identifying those who will pose minimal risk
to researchers and the themselves while providing maximum benefit to the
research. The questions posed to the interviewees will be concise and
conversational in order to maximize comfort and inspire honest answers.

Participation in the study is voluntary and any interviewee will be able to stop the
research for whatever reason. Benefits of conducting this type of research for the
homeless community in Chattanooga include dissipating perceptions
surrounding the homeless in the city and to gain a greater understanding of the
living situation of the homeless. There will be no direct benefit to participants in
this study.

Privacy/Confidentiality: Please describe whether the research would involve

observation in situations where subjects have a reasonable expectation of privacy.
If identifiable existing records are to be examined, has appropriate permission been
sought, i.e. from institutions, subjects, and physicians? What provision has been
made to protect the confidentiality of sensitive information about individuals? Are
research records anonymous? If not, there should be discussion of how records will
be coded, where and how they will be stored, and when they will be disposed of. It
should also note where and how signed consent forms will be maintained. If video
or audio tapes will be made as part of the study, disposition of these tapes should be

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addressed. In general, the IRB recommends that research tapes be destroyed as
soon as the needed data are transcribed, and that only restricted study personnel
be allowed access to the tapes. List the names of individuals who will have access
to names and/or data. If other procedures are proposed [for example, retaining
tapes for future use, allowing individuals other than study investigators access to the
tapes] justification should be presented and separate.

The research that will be taking place during this study will be gained through
interviews with human subjects. The questions will not be personal in nature and
will not be considered intrusive. The subjects will be informed of the purpose of
the study and will be given the option to remain unidentified. The interviews will
be conducted by two researchers- one to ask questions and another to take
notes. An audio recorder may also be used if permission is obtained from the
subject.

If the subject elects to remain unidentified, the notes will not contain any
identifying information and will be kept in a secure place delegated by the
researcher whom they belong to. The audio tapes will be handled in the same
manner. The notes and tapes will be disposed of after they have been
transcribed; the notes will be shredded if taken by hand or deleted from the
device they were taken on and the recordings will be deleted from all devices.
Ann Yoachim, Barbara Sevilla, Allison Dearing, Chloe Cross, Jordan Madrigal,
and Jose Gonzalez will have access to the recordings and interview notes.

2/27/2017
Signatures:
2/27/2017 3/02/2017
2/28/2017

03/02/2017
Principal Investigator or Student Date

2/27/2017

*Faculty Advisor (for student

Date
applications)

* If submitted by a faculty member, electronic (typed) signatures are acceptable. If

submitted by a student, please print out completed form, obtain the faculty advisors

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signature, scan completed form, and submit it via email. Only Word documents or PDF
files are acceptable submissions.

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