Community Acceptance of, and Opposition to, Homeless-Serving Facilities

Abstract

Under what conditions will the public accept homeless-serving housing and social service facilities in their neighborhood? In this paper, we answer this question through a basic descriptive statistical analysis of a brief survey (respondent n=251) and a thematic analysis of seven focus groups with residents of San Diego, California (participant n=34). We find that although residents were not categorically opposed to such facilities, their support was contingent on a particular approach to addressing homelessness, often rooted in misperceptions of the causes of homelessness. Participants classified people experiencing homelessness (PEH) into “deserving” and “undeserving” groups based on these perceptions. Attitudes towards homeless-serving facilities were also shaped by a belief that what is needed most are services such as substance abuse treatment, mental health services, or job training; they focused less on the need to house people who are currently unsheltered. Study participants also took a paternalistic approach to policy design, focusing on rules and regulations to force PEH to make “good” decisions. Participants recognized homelessness as a pressing social problem and were willing to consider homeless-serving facilities in their community. However, their attitudes and beliefs limited which facilities they would support, and under what circumstances.