Lives Of Homeless People Research Articles

Teaching the geographies of the homeless: a GeoCapabilities approach

ABSTRACT This article unpicks the geographies of homelessness in urban areas, which is a form of deprivation underrepresented in school geography. First it explores the micro- and macro-level factors that contribute to homelessness and how these affect the lives of homeless people. The concept of Firstspace, Secondspace and Thirdspace is used to deconstruct their lived experiences. After touching upon how the COVID-19 pandemic affected cities such as Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (which was forced to shut down, adversely affecting the lives of homeless people), the article focuses on the experience of a community of rough sleepers in the city. Here, the homeless are a product of a hyperreal neoliberal tourist economy who are forced underground into a series of tunnels constructed to remove water during episodic flash flooding. Their lived space involves constructing pathways of survival through the city, including dumpster diving and credit hustling. The article goes on to explore how learning about homelessness can help students to develop their GeoCapabilities, and offers a ‘powerful knowledge’ for young people to make sense of the changing geographies in their own urban areas.

Residence registration to cope with homelessness: evidence from a qualitative research study in Milan

Homeless people are one of the most vulnerable and marginalized groups in developed countries, and their homelessness situation often persists over the long term. However, so far, no studies have explained the specific role played by residence registration as it relates to deprivation amongst the homeless population and its contribution to improving the lives of homeless people. This paper investigates the paths homeless people in Milan use to access residence registration, via a case study in the city of Milan. Home to Italy’s largest homeless population, the city of Milan has implemented the innovative ResidenzaMi project to improve access to residence registration for homeless people. The study considers official statistics and individual interviews with service providers involved in the registration process. It further investigates the main factors impeding the registration process and outlines the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results from our study indicate that a residence certificate plays a critical role in helping homeless people exercise their rights and access the services they need to escape homelessness. Our findings suggest the importance of a holistic, multidimensional approach to ensure access to residence registration for homeless persons.

The Homeless People in China During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Victims of the Strict Pandemic Control Measures of the Government.

Background: By implementing aggressive control measures, China has rapidly and effectively controlled the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, the neglected homeless population may become victims of that perceived success. Due to political sensitivity, we know little about them.Aims: This study aimed to investigate how the pandemic and the pandemic control strategies of the government affected the lives of the homeless people in mainland China.Methods: A total of 103 eligible participants experiencing absolute homelessness were recruited from Guangzhou City during July and August 2020. Surveys measured demographic characteristics including health status, changes in daily living, and actions of the government toward the homeless during the pandemic. Sankey diagrams and ordered logit regression models were used to examine the impact on the homeless of inhumane government efforts to drive the homeless away. Qualitative materials were analyzed by using an inductive approach to provide more details.Results: First, the homeless people in Guangzhou tended to be male, aged 40 to 64 years, less well-educated, and they originated from outside Guangdong although they were living in the city center. Most had little connection with their families. After a long period of homelessness, almost half of the participants were in poor health with various conditions, which made them extremely vulnerable to COVID-19. Second, the pandemic caused a substantial decline in incomes of homeless people, had less of a negative impact on their food intake, and affected sleep time in different ways. Third, during the COVID-19 pandemic, humanitarian aid from local governments of China decreased, whereas inhumane efforts to drive the homeless away intensified. Fourth, quantitative models and qualitative materials demonstrate the devastating effect of the strict pandemic control strategy of the government on the lives of homeless people, which may further cause their health problems.Conclusion: This study for the first time illustrated the characteristic features of the street homeless population in mainland China and their living situation during the COVID-19 pandemic, and most importantly demonstrated the devastating effect of the strict pandemic control of the government, which has been considered a great success in previous studies, on lives of homeless people. Urgent measures should be taken to ensure the protection of the homeless population and prevent an impending humanitarian crisis.

«ИЗНАНКА ГОРОДА»: МАРГИНАЛЬНЫЕ ЛАНДШАФТЫ И СОВРЕМЕННАЯ ВИЗУАЛЬНАЯ КУЛЬТУРА

The topic of people thrown to the sidelines of life is considered in a double frame—in the context of the way the urban space is arranged and in the context of modern visual culture (feature films, video and photo blogs, videos on popular YouTube channels). The most hyped-up type of marginal landscape in modern media is slums. The otherness of such spaces has always been a subject of interest and curiosity, for “gazing”—interpretation, perception and entertainment. In modern mass culture, the “location” of the global south slums is especially trendy. In such exterior, hyper-popular feature films such as Slumdog Millionaire have been shot, causing a new cultural phenomenon—mass slum tourism. This phenomenon seems to be ambiguous from an ethical point of view; but from the point of view of visual culture, it is voyeurism brought to the level of an art and everyday life practice. The second type of marginal urban landscapes is local “invasion” into the decent and institutionalized city space. This art form serves as a “location” for a psychological drama of superfluous people. Features of national identity are most clearly manifested on its seamy side rather than anywhere else. Japanese townships of the homeless, incorporated into central and well-to-do areas, are no strangers to order and aesthetics; while Russian realities—chaos, departure from norms and underground—are completely opposite. Classic films devoted to this issue—Dodes’ka-den by Akira Kurasawa, Promised Heaven by Eldar Ryazanov, The Lady in the Van by Nicholas Hytner—model these seamy spaces and their peculiarities inherent in national culture. Very popular now are YouTube channels about the life of homeless people, which show real characters in their real habitats, introducing marginal spaces into the rank of a hot-topic visual culture. This type of visualization provokes another cultural phenomenon— the perception of marginal loci and their inhabitants as an interactive performance. Interactivity can vary from attacking to fraternization, from preaching to charity. Odd as it may seem, hyper-visualization and aestheticization of social ulcers contributes to their social invisibility. It is a problem, which no one is going to solve anymore; it has become a part of modern culture with its own philosophical and aesthetic arguments—and in a certain sense they act as its justification.

«ИЗНАНКА ГОРОДА»: МАРГИНАЛЬНЫЕ ЛАНДШАФТЫ И СОВРЕМЕННАЯ ВИЗУАЛЬНАЯ КУЛЬТУРА

The topic of people thrown to the sidelines of life is considered in a double frame—in the context of the way the urban space is arranged and in the context of modern visual culture (feature films, video and photo blogs, videos on popular YouTube channels). The most hyped-up type of marginal landscape in modern media is slums. The otherness of such spaces has always been a subject of interest and curiosity, for “gazing”—interpretation, perception and entertainment. In modern mass culture, the “location” of the global south slums is especially trendy. In such exterior, hyper-popular feature films such as Slumdog Millionaire have been shot, causing a new cultural phenomenon—mass slum tourism. This phenomenon seems to be ambiguous from an ethical point of view; but from the point of view of visual culture, it is voyeurism brought to the level of an art and everyday life practice. The second type of marginal urban landscapes is local “invasion” into the decent and institutionalized city space. This art form serves as a “location” for a psychological drama of superfluous people. Features of national identity are most clearly manifested on its seamy side rather than anywhere else. Japanese townships of the homeless, incorporated into central and well-to-do areas, are no strangers to order and aesthetics; while Russian realities—chaos, departure from norms and underground—are completely opposite. Classic films devoted to this issue—Dodes’ka-den by Akira Kurasawa, Promised Heaven by Eldar Ryazanov, The Lady in the Van by Nicholas Hytner—model these seamy spaces and their peculiarities inherent in national culture. Very popular now are YouTube channels about the life of homeless people, which show real characters in their real habitats, introducing marginal spaces into the rank of a hot-topic visual culture. This type of visualization provokes another cultural phenomenon— the perception of marginal loci and their inhabitants as an interactive performance. Interactivity can vary from attacking to fraternization, from preaching to charity. Odd as it may seem, hyper-visualization and aestheticization of social ulcers contributes to their social invisibility. It is a problem, which no one is going to solve anymore; it has become a part of modern culture with its own philosophical and aesthetic arguments—and in a certain sense they act as its justification.

Perigosos ou úteis? Os moradores de rua e a produção do espaço urbano em Belo Horizonte e Bogotá

Neste artigo buscaremos analisar os mecanismos e estratégias de poderes/saberes que interferem, no âmbito do planejamento urbano e da produção do espaço, sobre as pessoas moradoras de rua em Belo Horizonte e Bogotá a partir de investigações que ocorreram durante os anos 2014 e 2015. Para tal, procuraremos compreender como o planejamento urbano neoliberal tem transformado espaços públicos – locais de estruturação, parcial ou total, da vida dos moradores de rua – em commodity através de estratégias de privatização. Os procedimentos teórico-metodológicos utilizados foram baseados na etnografia e na genealogia foucaultiana – que possibilitaram tanto acompanhar a construção de uma razão neoliberal através dos tempos quanto a produção de dispositivos, no âmbito da política urbana, com o intuito de controlar corpos nas dimensões do indivíduo e da população. Nessa perspectiva, conduziremos um olhar para o espaço urbano a partir de corpos e pessoas compreendidos não como problemas, mas como parte de conflitos, pertencimentos, estratégias, formas de sujeição e exclusões com o intuito de pensar a produção do espaço de forma crítica.

PTSD Symptoms, Vicarious Traumatization, and Burnout in Front Line Workers in the Homeless Sector.

Work with clients who have trauma-related problems is reported to lead to a constellation of reactions including vicarious traumatization, compassion fatigue, and burnout. Traumatic experiences are ubiquitous in the lives of homeless people, stemming from multiple life events prior to, and as a result of, experiencing homelessness. While most studies examine either burnout and vicarious traumatization or potential PTSD in people who work with those who are traumatized, they generally do not look at the possible co-existence of all three factors. They also do not explore if these factors indicate the extent to which burnout or vicarious traumatization may lead to PTSD symptoms or that the existence of PTSD symptoms may precipitate greater rates of burnout. Inaddition, there are no existing studies that provide a quantitative view of the characteristics of frontline workers in homeless services. In this study, we surveyed 472 individuals who work in frontline positions in homeless shelters in 23 different organizations. We found rates of burnout, vicarious traumatization and compassion satisfaction, comparable to workers in other social services organizations but found rates of PTSD symptoms to be at 33% of the total population. This higher incidence of PTSD symptoms suggests that workers under-report traumatic stress when it is described as vicarious traumatization, that they specifically attribute this to client contact, and that vicarious traumatization is traumatic stress specifically attributed to job-related events.

Access to social support among homeless urban women and men in Tehran (Iran)

Purpose Social support is a significant factor in the life of homeless people, as it helps them meet their life challenges more efficiently and increases the likelihood of return to a normal life. Social support plays a different role in homeless women’s life, as gender culture often causes them to be exposed to more risks. The purpose of this paper is to identify homeless people’s access to social support from their network members, with a comparison between men and women. Design/methodology/approach In this study, a survey method was used with an administrated questionnaire. Participants were recruited from among the homeless people (men and women) who used the municipal social services in shelters and social service centers in Tehran. The main variables in this study included frequency of contact, social support, and gender. Findings The results have shown significant differences between homeless men and homeless women in terms of frequency of contact and receipt of social support. Homeless women contacted their network members more often than did homeless men and also received more support. There seems to be a strong correlation between the receipt of social support and women’s greater ability for social communication, as well as with traditional culture, which considers women to be weak and dependent so that they receive more support compared with men. The weakness of social support, especially among homeless men, requires serious attention; however, homeless women are not in a favorable situation either. Originality/value The social networks of homeless people who usually live on the streets and in public places without permanent shelter are weak because of various reasons, including poverty, addiction, immigration, and divorce. The weakness of social support leads to an escalation of their vulnerabilities. Thus, it is necessary, in social policy and services, to improve the social network of high-risk people such as homeless people, which would help the rehabilitation process and reduce the probability of exposure to harm.

My dog always eats first: homeless people and their animals

A weary-looking man stands at an intersection, backpack at his feet. Curled up nearby is a mixed-breed dog, unfazed by the passing traffic. The man holds a sign that reads, Two old dogs need help. God bless. What's happening here? Leslie Irvine breaks new ground in the study of homelessness by investigating the frequently noticed, yet underexplored, role that animals play in the lives of homeless people. Irvine conducted interviews on street corners, in shelters, even at highway underpasses, to provide insights into the benefits and liabilities that animals have for the homeless. She also weighs the perspectives of social service workers, veterinarians, and local communities. Her work provides a new way of looking at both the meaning of animal companionship and the concept of home itself.

Homelessness and Companion Animals: More than Just a Pet?

Purpose: Research identifies the value of animal companionship for people of various ages and with physical and mental health diagnoses. However, there is limited research into the value of animal companionship for the homeless population. Method: This exploratory study aimed to investigate the value that homeless people find in animal companionship; the extent to which homelessness impacts on the ability to have animal companions; and interventions that health professionals can implement to reduce barriers to animal companionship. Twenty-six people were interviewed during Homeless Health Outreach Team outreach. Descriptive analysis of the responses to the semi-structured interviews was carried out. Findings: Results indicated that the majority of participants had given up a pet, and wanted a pet but could not due to their homelessness. The impact of giving up a companion animal was significant. Difficulties associated with pet ownership focused mostly on the living environment and the cost. There were several benefits to having companion animals. Participants viewed that having a pet made a difference to their lives in that it provided friendship and responsibility and contributed to emotional wellbeing. Conclusion: It is suggested that occupational therapists need to be aware of the impact that pet ownership has on the lives of homeless people and to explore ways in which they can assist with this.

Safer Outside: A Qualitative Exploration of Homeless People's Resistance to Homeless Shelters

Unsheltered or “street” homeless are an under-researched subset of the homeless population although they account for 37% of the total number of homeless people. The current study examines the lives of homeless people who reside in camps in the woods of East Orange County, Florida. Data for this study were collected via five focus groups with a total of 39 unsheltered homeless people. It is clear from this research that unsheltered homeless people have unique needs that differ from those of the sheltered homeless and that social services will need to change many aspects of the way services are provided to address these unique needs.

From means to occasion: walking in the life of homeless people

This article discusses walking by homeless people, who were asked to take photographs of their everyday lives. These individuals walked to take their pictures, and they used their photographs to explain the walking that homeless people do. Stories about photographs taken were used to explain the significance of different modes of walking, as means, as condition and as occasion. Rather than see walking as integral with a kind of method – or ready-made technique – the authors argue that whatever walking ‘is’ emerges in the course of producing (not just analysing) that experience. They suggest that walking tears at the fabric of symbols and voiced conventions to produce traces and dissonances that invite repair – repair through ‘storying’ the journeys made.

Performativity and Affect in the Homeless City

In this paper we discuss some of the ‘strange maps’ of city life performed by homeless people. Current models of urban homelessness emphasise both the strategies by which spaces of homelessness are disciplined and contained, and the tactics deployed by homeless people to negotiate this containment. Whilst recognising the value of such work, we argue that there is a need to move beyond this ‘rationalist’ reading of the homeless city to recognise the importance of emotion and affect in the lives of homeless people, and the traces such emotions leave on the homeless city. Drawing on in-depth interviews, we chart the journeys and pauses made by homeless people in the city of Bristol, UK. We show how the geography of homelessness thus described moves beyond current accounts of the homeless city rooted in an understanding of the strategic or tactical use of space and allows for a more nuanced reading of urban space able to take proper account of the less visible, more ‘transient’ reinscriptions of place that mark the presence of homeless people in the city.

Homelessness in America

ABSTRACT: A second wave of books on homelessness in American has emerged since the crisis was first documented in the early 1980s. A dozen of these books are reviewed in this article. One conclusion of the review is that the urban dimensions of homelessness have yet to receive adequate treatment. An agenda for research on urban homelessness is offered, emphasizing the need to study the role of place in the lives of homeless people, the forces creating urban spatial reorganization, differences in social networks across homeless subpopulations, and the changing geographic organization of shelter and services targeted to the homeless.