In the past two weeks I have become a father again.  And saying this leads to much confusion, as I have a different perspective to other people when confronted with that phrase.  Indeed, one of my friends, when I shared the news, sent congratulations.  I have not become a father again because of a new baby but because my eldest daughter, who is turning 22 at the end of the month and is just finishing university, got in touch after seeing me twice, for less than a total of 4 hours, in over six years.  So, for six years, I have not been a father because I was respecting my daughters wishes not to be part of her life.  However, she now wants me to be part of her life, hence I am a father again.

From a systems thinking position this once again highlights the importance of perspective.  From my perspective I am reconnecting with a role that I have not been fulfilling for a number of years, whereas other people perceive that I am about to have another child.  Ultimately, I’m not sure it matters as the end result is that I am having to engage with a child and fulfil the role as parent.  Luckily this time it comes without smelly nappies, even though sleepless nights are still a thing.

However, moving on to wicked problems which are problem that are difficult or impossible to solve because of incomplete, contradictory, and changing requirements that are often difficult to recognise. It refers to an idea or problem that cannot be fixed, where there is no single solution to the problem; and “wicked” denotes resistance to resolution, rather than evil (Ackoff, 1974).  In the current situation not only has my daughter chosen to reconnect with me after a number of years, she is about to be homeless, with a two week hard deadline of when she has to leave her current, temporary, accommodation and she has no money (as she is a student).  This means that we are dealing with the following:

• Trying to deal with the immediate relationship between father and daughter
• Dealing with the impact it has on relationships that we both have with our wider families and friends
• Reacting to an unexpected situation with deadlines outside of either of our control and the impact that has on our lives
• Trying to navigate the support mechanisms in place to support homeless young people (as coming to live with me is not an option)
• Understanding the economic and political issues surrounding obtaining accommodation e.g. lack of houses, cost of deposits etc.

So what, from a systems thinking position, is the problem?  Is it my daughter reconnecting with me, is it that she is homeless (as in individual), is it because of the wider issues around homelessness?  The reality is it is all of that and more.  Currently I am having to “tread carefully” as I am trying to ensure good foundations to rebuild the relationship and not express my negative feelings around the situation.  Equally, I don’t want my daughter, who is fragile at the moment, to end up living in some unsuitable accommodation in order to “simply” prevent her ending up on the streets and ensuring that government reporting targets are met.

I can find lots of papers and research about using systems thinking to document and explore homelessness at a macro level, however there is a tendency to reduce individuals to statistics and to focus on specific issues or areas.  Whereas I am trying to apply some holistic thinking to an individual I don’t know but who is very important to me.  I don’t want her to disappear within a “system” that allows other issues to emerge.  And maybe, sometimes, this is an issue with systems thinking.  It is very good at looking at the “big” issues such as climate change, drug addiction, domestic violence etc. but it doesn’t necessarily provide a way to deal with wicked problems at a micro level.

Applying systems thinking at a methodological level is challenge, after all how do you represent an individual within a system?  Do you treat the individual as a sub-system or do allow them to be represented as a statistic or within a group such as homeless young females?  How do you incorporate or document the emotional side of the situation? Where exactly do you set the boundaries and represent the multiple perspectives?  I have tried understanding the situation using a number of tools and methodologies, however none seem to enable me to capture the complexity or fully represent the various aspects.

But, and this is a big but, I can apply the fundamentals of systems thinking in a way that helps me make sense of the situation.  For instance, I can take a holistic view and apply boundaries that relate directly to the individuals involved in the situation.  What the individuals directly embedded within the systems is a safe, affordable home as opposed to the provision of accommodation which allows organisational requirements to be met.  Interconnections can be identified and utilised.  Not just to secure accommodation but to gain the emotional support and to understand the various how the various parts within the system interact and connect. Feedback enables learning as the situation evolves, as the inputs change, and new elements emerge as a result of the components interacting.

Currently we are about 12 days into the situation.  It changes by the hour, or so it seems, as a result of new elements becoming involved in the system.  For instance, some landlords won’t touch anyone under 25, different lettings agents have varying “affordability” requirements, and new completely unforeseen elements come into play.  My family, who haven’t interacted with my daughter in over 10 years, have all offered practical support which has completely changed the situation.

At a macro level I have not got a solution to homelessness not to the issues that exist within the “housing system”, however I now have a far better understanding of how difficult it is for young people to have a meaningful interaction with the homelessness system and how complex and frustrating the process is of renting a property is.  However, at a micros level, and thanks to the support of friends and family it appears we will be able to ensure that my daughter will soon have a home to call her own.

References

Ackoff, Russell (1974). “”Systems, Messes, and Interactive Planning” Portions of Chapters 1 and 2″. Redesigning the Future. London: Wiley.