Home as a risk environment: Negotiating the boundaries of homes and social relationships in services for people using illicit drugs

Abstract

This study focuses on how clients using illicit drugs are supported in managing the boundaries of their homes to avoid the risks that social relationships may have on their daily lives at home. The data consist of 14 client–worker encounters audio-recorded in 2017 in a Finnish home-based service for people using drugs. Discursive interaction analysis and geographies of home were applied to examine how boundaries of homes are negotiated in relation to social relationships and how the home is constructed as a risk environment in the interactions of the service. The results highlight that the tensions between home and social relationships can be complex in the context of illicit drug use. Managing the boundaries of the home and social relationships deserves special attention among welfare services to promote their client's right to privacy and attachment to a home environment. This is also important for preventing the risk of homelessness.