Geography and Shelter

Abstract

Intended as an emergency response to the problem of “homelessness,” shelters have become a common service, outliving the “temporary” label. Typically, the provision of refuge has placed shelters in the position of intermediary between “homeless” people, local communities, and local governments. Investigating how shelters may restrict and regulate people within communities and shelter facilities can clarify the influence of the “commonsense” intervention of shelter on the lives of the people served. A survey of Ohio sheltering programs examines the extent to which shelter location, structure and operations restrict and/or influence the connections homeless people have to their communities and support networks. Implications for social work practice with people experiencing homelessness are discussed.