I examine power as it is used by those thought to be among the most powerless women in our society-sheltered homeless women. I first describe homeless shelters as a form of total institution. Next, using evidence from a longitudinal study of sheltered mothers, I demonstrate that homeless women are not passive victims of this total institution. Instead, the structure of shelter life provides homeless women with opportunities for effective action. Homeless women often effectively use strategies based on stereotypical representations of poor welfare mothers to gain resources important to their ongoing survival. Although subtle, this is, I argue, a strategic use of power by these victimized women. These actions maintain a sense of personal efficacy while also helping to secure their most important goal, a permanent place to live. Gaining a home in which to raise their children and protect themselves and their families from the worst ravages of poverty represents a real increase in social power for impoverished women.
