Examination of Residential Instability and Homelessness among Young Children

Examination of Residential Instability and Homelessness among Young ChildrenAnalysis of a national study suggests that low-income children are at an increased risk of homelessness and housing instability. Over half of the children who experienced homelessness by age five moved more than three times during that period. Homelessness, coupled with frequent moves, puts children at risk for negative developmental outcomes

Homelessness and the meaning of home: rooflessness or rootlessness?

This paper has several objectives. These are: (1) to analyse the meaning of homelessness in the light of recent contributions on the meaning of home: (2) to criticize some current perspectives on homelessness as a social problem; (3) to identify and explore a number of different dimensions of the meaning of home and homelessness; (4) to reassess the evidence on the context of home and homelessness, and re-examine the meaning of homelessness in the light of that reassessed evidence; and (5) to explain the political meaning of homelessness as expressed in official definitions, legislation and state provision (or lack of it)

Comparing men's and womens' experiences of multiple exclusion homelessness

This article explores gender as a variable in multiple exclusion homelessness in England. Much past research has taken insufficient account of the gender of homeless people, especially the predominance of men in the single homeless population and of women heading homeless households with dependent children. Drawing on qualitative data generated in a study of multiple exclusion homelessness in London and Nottingham, the article considers three ways in which gender may act as a homelessness variable: in people's susceptibility to homelessness, in their experiences of homelessness and in their encounters with accommodation services. By comparing the accounts of homeless men and women with complex support needs with evidence from staff working for support agencies, the overall aim of the article is to offer a critical examination of the gendered assumptions of homelessness policy and practice

Characteristics and likelihood of ongoing homelessness among unsheltered veterans

INTRODUCTION: Unsheltered homelessness is an important phenomenon yet difficult to study due to lack of data. The Veterans Health Administration administers a universal homelessness screener, which identifies housing status for Veterans screening positive for homelessness. METHODS: This study compared unsheltered and sheltered Veterans, assessed differences in rates of ongoing homelessness, and estimated a mixed-effect logistic regression model to examine the relationship between housing status and ongoing homelessness. RESULTS: Eleven percent of Veterans who screened positive for homelessness were unsheltered; 40% of those who rescreened were homeless six months later, compared with less than 20% of sheltered Veterans. Unsheltered Veterans were 2.7 times as likely to experience ongoing homelessness. DISCUSSION: Unsheltered Veterans differ from their sheltered counterparts-they are older, more likely to be male, less likely to have income-and may be good candidates for an intensive housing intervention. Future research will assess clinical characteristics and services utilization among this population

Fearless Friday: Marli Horwitz

Over three and a half million people will have experienced homelessness in the past year- an overwhelming and disheartening statistic. For this week’s Fearless Friday, we highlight Marli Horwitz, who has courageously dedicated herself to debunking stereotypes, increasing awareness, and taking action towards ending homelessness. As program coordinator of D.C. Outfitters, she has led many trips to public parks in D.C., provided toiletries and clothing to people experiencing homelessness, and has planned two successful Homelessness Awareness Weeks. [excerpt

Back Home Again: LaPorte County, Indiana, Plan to End Homelessness

The Social IMPACT Research Center (IMPACT), a program of Heartland Alliance, worked with leaders in LaPorte County, Indiana to create a Plan to End Homelessness for the county. Plans to End Homelessness help communities determine and implement key system improvements, build community and political will for addressing homelessness, align resources efficiently, and begin the important march toward ending homelessness.LaPorte County's Plan to End Homelessness harnesses best practices, local realities, and community input to solve a problem that affects far too many lives: those who are at risk of homelessness, those who are experiencing homelessness, and their children, neighbors, friends, and family.LaPorte County's Plan includes goals in three areas: prevention, housing, and income/services with a number of action steps established to reach each goal. The Plan is designed to serve those who have been identified as needing services in LaPorte County, to help service providers enhance and streamline services, and help funders of the homeless system target funding and community resources to prevent and end homelessness

Addressing the Intersections of Juvenile Justice Involvement and Youth Homelessness: Principles for Change

A young person's involvement with the justice system can increase their likelihood of later experiencing homelessness for many reasons, including the fact that educational disruptions and juvenile delinquency records can make it harder to obtain employment. Youth experiencing homelessness may also be swept into the juvenile justice system through laws that prohibit simply being in public spaces, such as juvenile curfews, or anti-sitting or sleeping ordinances. Both juvenile justice involvement and youth homelessness have long-term negative consequences. The Principles in Part I of this document provide a roadmap for communities to help young people avoid experiencing juvenile justice system involvement and/or youth homelessness

Information paper: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples perspectives on homelessness, 2014

Summary: This information paper presents findings from engagement conducted over the past 12 months with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and homelessness service providers in relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples perspectives on homelessness. The paper presents different perspectives of homelessness and their alignment with the ABS statistical definition of homelessness and identifies the implications for measuring homelessness in an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander context

Evaluation of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Chronic Homelessness Initiative: 2015

Under a September 2011 contract with the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Abt Associates has been conducting an evaluation of the Hilton Foundation's Chronic Homelessness Initiative, with the goal of answering the overarching question: Is the Chronic Homelessness Initiative an effective strategy to end and prevent chronic homelessness in Los Angeles County? The evaluation is designed to provide both progress on interim milestones related to improving the systems for serving people experiencing chronic homelessness and estimates of the effect of permanent supportive housing (PSH) on residents and on the problem of chronic homelessness. Since the beginning of the Chronic Homelessness Initiative, the Foundation has awarded more than $56.7 million in multiyear grants to 29 nonprofit groups working in LA and beyond. Grantmaking has concentrated on three broad areas: homelessness systems change, targeted program delivery, and knowledge dissemination. The Foundation has shown leadership across the three funding areas by its willingness to take reasonable risks to innovate, by spurring other community stakeholders to action, and by expanding the reach of the Initiative beyond direct investments. The Foundation articulated six strategic goals for the Initiative. The goals represent significant milestones toward the ultimate goal of ending and preventing chronic homelessness in Los Angeles. In this fourth annual evaluation report, we provide updates on progress towards each goal. These status updates are summarized below and elaborated in the body of this report. Many of the five-year goals have been exceeded, and systems change efforts have created momentum for continued success

Men Experiencing Homelessness: A Qualitative Investigation of Multiple Stigmas

Homelessness is a pervasive and problematic phenomenon. Unfortunately, programs designed to reduce or eliminate homelessness face a number of challenges. One such challenge involves difficulty engaging and retaining clientele who are experiencing homelessness in services. The literature suggests that one explanation for this difficulty involves the stigmatization experiences that individuals who are homeless accumulate over time. However, the relationship between stigmatization and the psychosocial functioning of individuals facing homelessness has rarely been investigated empirically, and it is unclear how well various theories of stigma apply to this unique population. The purpose of the current paper is to propose a grounded theory study of how a specific subgroup of the homeless population experiences and responds to multiple sources of social stigmatization: African American men experiencing homelessness and facing co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders