Lost in Transition: Entering the Liminal Space of Rural Homelessness in a Small Prairie Town

Abstract

ABSTRACT Rural homelessness is an emergent social concern in Canada but it remains overshadowed by urban homelessness policy and research agendas. Thus, it is rare to find extended academic discussions of rural homelessness and its causes. In this paper, we report on the findings of a mixed-method rural homelessness study in a small Alberta prairie town (Canada). We explore the nature of transitions and how they place individuals at risk of housing risk and/or homelessness, particularly in a rural context. Findings reveal a complex interplay between external and internal resources and drivers that cast an individual into the liminal space of housing risk and into homelessness, and that the rural context accentuates housing risk.