Where They Don't Have to Take You In: The Representation of Homelessness in Public Policy

Abstract

The presence of homelessness for a dec ade and predictions of a growing prob lem suggest that it is less insightful to examine the phenomena as an anomaly than to analyze it as an aspect of post modern society. This article contributes to the project of recontextualizing home lessness by reviewing ways in which homelessness is represented within sev eral forms of public discourse and by speculating on how homelessness con tributes to the culture of everyday life. The dynamics of attending to homeless ness are double-edged. They insure that the issue is addressed in some ways while at the same time entailing some necessary exclusions. Homelessness also serves to discriminate between regular ized societal life and the consequences of living outside its bounds. In both cases the generative force of established practices contributes to the constitution and maintenance of a category I call the dishonored homeless. Education in plan ning, and public affairs in general, should highlight, rather than submerge, the relations among dispersive policy practices such as economic development planning, social service delivery, and the lives of the dishonored homeless.