Chapter 20 - Homelessness in the context of extreme poverty: Social policy from Indonesia

Abstract

This section uses a qualitative approach through a comprehensive literature review to explore the complex relationship between homelessness and extreme poverty in the context of social policies and solutions implemented in Indonesia. It reveals that extreme poverty can lead to homelessness, and conversely, homelessness exacerbates conditions of extreme poverty. The study also highlights Indonesia's proactive efforts to reduce homelessness and extreme poverty. The Indonesian government has implemented a homelessness policy as the primary criterion for extreme poverty. It has a single identity card to prioritize homeless people for various poverty reduction programs. This condition illustrates that the Indonesian government's welfare program does not discriminate against homeless people whose social welfare rights have not been fulfilled because they are not registered in a single residence identity. The Indonesian government simplifies the problem of homelessness only to the problem of extreme poverty. Indonesia's social policy to simultaneously address homelessness and extreme poverty is an effective and efficient solution when the state is experiencing a shortage of financial allocations. However, this governance policy does not provide a sustainable solution and does not necessarily meet the expectations of homeless people because not all homelessness is caused by poverty. This study recommends further research on homelessness and extreme poverty governance that provides sustainable solutions, especially in developing countries, in-depth analysis of homeless people's perspectives on social policies, and study using quantitative approaches.