Chronic homelessness - what women’s experiences can tell us

Abstract

This article reassesses the policy concept of chronic homelessness in the light of women’s experiences of long-term homelessness. Chronic homelessness, associated with long-term homelessness and high levels of emergency and homelessness service use among men, has received increased focus in research, policy and services in recent years, and despite women’s comparative housing disadvantages, the overwhelming majority of people identified as experiencing chronic homelessness are male. This article draws on Carole Bacchi’s work on how policy problems are represented, and on the results of a small qualitative study with women experiencing long-term or chronic homelessness, to show how current representations of chronic homelessness obscure rather than reflect women’s experiences of long-term homelessness, marginalising their claims to housing and other assistance. The article concludes by suggesting opportunities to change this representation of the problem through research, evaluation, policy and program development that are informed by women’s experiences.