introduction
This web resource guide is a pathfinder for research on homelessness from a sociological perspective. Highlighted here are recommended reference books, bibliographies, journal articles, reports, web resources, resources of local interest to the Cleveland, Ohio geographic area, and relevant Library of Congress Subject Headings. These resources are not intended to be a comprehensive list; rather, they comprise a recommended starting place for students beginning sociological research on homelessness.
homelessness research
Sociologists study many aspects of homelessness as a social issue, typically focusing on the who (typology and demographics), the why (causes such as mental illness, substance abuse, poverty, and public policies), and the how (programs and services for prevention and aid, as well as public opinion).
Though homelessness has existed in the United States since colonial times, sociological research on homelessness can generally be broken into four time periods: 1890s-1920s, 1930s-1940s, 1940s-1970s, and 1980s-present.
Modern research also differentiates between types of homelessness, dividing it into three categories:
Though the chronic homeless are often the most visible in society, this group makes up just 10% of the homeless population in the United States. The majority (80%) of the homeless are categorized within the crisis/temporary group.
This pathfinder includes resources that explore the historical background of homelessness in the United States as well as the modern conceptions of who, why, and how homelessness is experienced today.
Though homelessness has existed in the United States since colonial times, sociological research on homelessness can generally be broken into four time periods: 1890s-1920s, 1930s-1940s, 1940s-1970s, and 1980s-present.
- 1890s-1920s: This period focuses on the hobo or tramp culture in which homelessness was defined primarily as transient men.
- 1930s-1940s: This period focuses on the Great Depression.
- 1940s-1970s: This period focuses on the skid row era, in which certain impoverished neighborhoods in major cities contained large concentrations of homeless persons, stereotypically suffering from alcoholism, drug addiction, or mental illness.
- 1980s-present: Modern research shows a shift in understanding from homelessness as primarily single males to growing subsets of the homeless population, such as families, women, youth, veterans, and minorities.
Modern research also differentiates between types of homelessness, dividing it into three categories:
- Crisis/temporary/transitional: Persons homeless for a short period of time as a result of a major life event, such as a foreclosure.
- Episodic: Persons who fluctuate between being homeless and having housing repeatedly over time.
- Chronic: Persons who experience long-term or permanent homelessness, typically in relation to problems such as disability, addiction, or mental illness.
Though the chronic homeless are often the most visible in society, this group makes up just 10% of the homeless population in the United States. The majority (80%) of the homeless are categorized within the crisis/temporary group.
This pathfinder includes resources that explore the historical background of homelessness in the United States as well as the modern conceptions of who, why, and how homelessness is experienced today.