ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how qualitative research practices can center the voices and experiences of marginalized populations through accompaniment. The Augsburg Health Commons, a nurse-led drop-in center located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which provides care for people living on the streets and in nearby homeless encampments, will be introduced, and its care model will be briefly described. The process of conducting an ongoing oral history project as an accompagnateur will be shared as a method to evaluate the care provided at the Augsburg Central Health Commons. This method provides not only further understanding of what community members at the Health Commons, referred to as “guests,” require for healthcare but also a model for community-centered research in similar care settings. The importance of grounding research processes in epistemological humility and de-emphasizing expertise is also described as vital values in conducting research as an accompagnateur.
