Homeless Family Shelters and Family Homelessness
Description:
Here we want to extend Peter Rossi's emphasis on the role of shelters in dealing with family homelessness. We make two arguments. One, shelters define the problem of family homelessness and therefore a particular conception of that problem. Two, shelters act to select from the population of poor families those who are worst off in some ways (housing, income, managing their lives, drug or alcohol addictions) and least able or willing to cope with circumstances other poor families do handle. We then explain that one reason why shelters play this role is because the ratio of "worst off, least able" poor families to the total number of poor families is so small that a device is needed to identify these families. Shelters are such a device.
Type of Resource:
Journal
Publication Date:
1994
Volume:
37
Issue:
3
Pages:
422-434
Location:
Thousand Oaks