Homelessness and identity : a critical review of the literature and theory

Within the news media and literature, alike, people experiencing homelessness are often categorised into various stereotypes revolving around their lack of abode. In such a practice a ‘homeless identity’ becomes the defining feature of a person’s character. Very few theoretical studies have critically addressed this discursive construction and its implications. This paper contributes to the few existing debates around the 'homeless identity' by arguing that such constructions are binding and misguided. The paper takes insight from the many and varied theories of ‘identity’ – how different approaches have theorised it and what might be borrowed from them to (re)conceptualise the ‘homeless identity’. After outlining several approaches to identity, the paper asks how someone experiencing homelessness might resist or challenge prescriptive identities and how the literature and research around homelessness might progress. It concludes that an intersectional approach will enrich a literature which tends to focus on a singular 'homeless identity'. Such an approach will address the intersection of lines of difference and recognise that the identity of any individual is multiple and fluid

The unhomely home : women, home-lessness and the unheimlich

In this paper I explore how officially defined homeless women negotiate home in the context of their homelessness. Discussion interweaves empirical data on homeless women’s meanings of home and homelessness with the Freudian notion of the unheimlich. An uncanny process of inversion was at work, whereby the supposedly familiar domestic sphere of the house – commonly associated with restfulness and security through the exclusion of fear, anxiety and upheaval – turns into an alien space. The body of literature on homelessness has largely neglected this concept so far. On the basis of semi-structured interviews, participant-produced photographs, and follow-up interviews with twelve women in contact with a range of homelessness services in the north of England, this paper argues for a questioning of the familiarity and homeliness of our most familiar environment: the family, domestic home. It suggests that alienation and homelessness can be felt within the household itself. This paper furthers Kaika’s (2004: 281) observation that querying the familiarity of the home is an act of subversion, turning on its head the binary between home and homelessness by insisting that each is implicated in the other. This paper additionally contributes to existing work in the field of housing studies by employing the concept of the unheimlich to frame the arguments presented here: that the unhomely and homelessness can be found within the domestic house itself

‘It’s Coming from the Heart’: Exploring a Student’s Experiences of ‘Home’ Using Participatory Visual Methodologies

This introductory study explores the meanings and images of ‘home’ for a student living in student accommodation within the United Kingdom. It makes a case for the use of visual methodologies, as well as outlining their contribution to theorising the geographies of space, gender, and the home. In addition to furthering debates about the meanings of ‘home’, it establishes the visual as a valid form of sociological knowledge, ethnography, and representation, and adds to critiques of visual methodologies more broadly. Employing a combination of auto-photography and photo-elicitation methods, this study forms a collaborative effort between research participant and researcher, to create and interpret the visual images of 'home'. The setting of the ‘home’ – regarded as one of the most familiar places for its occupants – is defamiliarised and made strange and interesting again through the medium of photography. This study positions itself within this research gap and dilemma by building on existing work which has sought to 'make the familiar strange' through creative methodologies

(Re)conceptualising the boundaries between home and homelessness: the unheimlich

A burgeoning cross-disciplinary literature signifies a move towards diversifying understandings of the meanings of 'home'. Homelessness is inextricably bound up in these definitions. While earlier work has considered meanings of homelessness, attempts to advance understandings of the relationship between home and homelessness have been sporadic. This article attempts to reinvigorate discussion around the home-homelessness relationship by problematising the binaries in current understandings and poses a different way of theorising the interplay between the two concepts. Drawing on interviews with women accessing homelessness services in the North of England, discussion interweaves women’s meanings of home and homelessness with the Freudian notion of the 'unheimlich'. The 'unheimlich' captures the uncanny process of inversion whereby the familiar domestic sphere of the house turns into a frightening place; and a typical space of homelessness – the hostel – is considered home. The article seeks to contribute more adequate theoretical tools for future research to better understand and articulate the complexities of home and homelessness

Is sharing the solution? : exploring the opportunities and challenges of privately rented shared accommodation for single people in housing need

Reduced availability of, and access to, affordable accommodation coupled with housing benefit reductions, particularly for single people under the age of 35, make it inevitable that more people will require shared accommodation as a financially viable solution to their housing needs. However, there is a reluctance to enter into sharing, particularly with 'strangers', and many members of vulnerable groups face challenges such as living with others, gaining access to the private rented sector, and sustaining tenancies. In response to these challenges, the Sharing Solutions Programme, run by Crisis and funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), recently piloted, developed and promoted new models for establishing successful sharing arrangements for single people in housing need. This paper draws on findings from an evaluation of that programme, alongside the literature on shared accommodation, to identify a number of potential barriers to making shared accommodation work, and ways in which these may be overcome. A range of factors are identified as pivotal in the success of sharing in the private rented sector, including changing perceptions of sharing, managing shared properties and supporting tenants. While the paper concludes that sharing can be a viable option for some, it simultaneously recognises the significant resources required to make it successful for tenants

The role of mental health in multiple exclusion homelessness

Development of effective policy responding to recent increases in rough sleeping in England requires an understanding of the needs of people experiencing homelessness. Research on multiple exclusion homelessness (MEH) should be central to policy development as it highlights the interactions between ‘homelessness’ and ‘deep social exclusion’. This article focuses on the nexus between mental health and homelessness within MEH. Mixed methods findings from Nottingham, England, are used to investigate the role of mental ill-health in the pathways into MEH. This included a survey of the mental health needs of homeless people and ‘homeless pathway’ interviews. Survey results demonstrated high levels of diagnosed and self-reported mental health issues. Interviews highlighted that mental ill-health and homelessness were closely associated with adverse life experiences and could not be viewed in isolation from them. The article contributes further insight on the specificities of mental health issues, their temporal ordering, and interrelationship with homelessness experiences. between mental health and homelessness within MEH. Mixed methods findings from Nottingham, England, are used to investigate the role of mental ill-health in the pathways into MEH. This included a survey of the mental health needs of homeless people and 'homeless pathway' interviews. Survey results demonstrated high levels of diagnosed and self-reported mental health issues. Interviews highlighted that mental ill-health and homelessness were closely associated with adverse life experiences and could not be viewed in isolation from them. The article contributes further insight on the specificities of mental health issu

Addressing transport barriers to work in low income neighbourhoods: A review of evidence and practice

This evidence review explores the links between poverty and transport to support a wider study into how the transport barriers to work for residents in low income neighbourhoods can be addressed. It argues that transport issues faced by households in poverty are not just a matter of physical infrastructure but are shaped by the nature and location of both housing and employment. For this reason, the review includes discussion of how poverty interacts with these domains in ways that often reinforce transport barriers for low income households. It also considers how these barriers are not just practical or material but also shaped by a range of social, cultural and psychological factors in terms of attachment to place and 'spatial horizons'

Homeless women, material objects and home (un)making

There is a growing body of literature that attests that self-articulation is carried out through the building, decorating and arranging of home. This, for the most part, has tended to overly focus on inhabitants of private, secure and permanent housing. Addressing a gap in literature and theory, this article explores the possibilities of homemaking for the growing sections of society in insecure housing or homelessness situations—for whom housing is neither stable, secure nor a necessarily positive entity. It does so by drawing on in-depth interviews and participant-produced photographs from women accessing homelessness services in the North of England. Of interest here is how homeless women relate to, engage with and use material culture (objects, possessions and the physical dwelling) to simultaneously make and unmake home. The article subsequently offers a new empirical focus for material culture studies which has so far largely neglected the experiences of marginalized groups