Title

The New Homelessness Revisited

Authors

Authors

B. A. Lee; K. A. Tyler;J. D. Wright

Comments

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Abbreviated Journal Title

Annu. Rev. Sociol.

Keywords

homeless population; poverty; housing; disaffiliation; social exclusion; public policy; causes and consequences of homelessness; NEW-YORK-CITY; PUBLIC SHELTER UTILIZATION; SOCIAL NETWORK; CHARACTERISTICS; RISK-FACTORS; UNITED-STATES; RUNAWAY ADOLESCENTS; FORMERLY HOMELESS; SEXUAL VICTIMIZATION; FAMILY HOMELESSNESS; YOUTH; HOMELESSNESS; Sociology

Abstract

The new homelessness has drawn sustained attention from scholars over the past three decades. Definitional inconsistencies and data limitations rendered early work during this period largely speculative in nature. Thanks to conceptual, theoretical, and methodological progress, however, the research literature now provides a fuller understanding of homelessness. Contributions by sociologists and other social scientists since the mid-1990s differentiate among types of homelessness, provide credible demographic estimates, and show how being homeless affects a person's life chances and coping strategies. Agreement also exists about the main macro- and micro-level causes of homelessness. Active lines of inquiry examine public, media, and governmental responses to the problem as well as homeless people's efforts to mobilize on their own behalf. Despite the obstacles faced when studying a stigmatized population marked by high turnover and weak anchors to place, recent investigations have significantly influenced homelessness policy. A greater emphasis on prevention should further strengthen the research-policy nexus.

Journal Title

Annual Review of Sociology, Vol 36

Volume

36

Publication Date

1-1-2010

Document Type

Article

Language

English

First Page

501

Last Page

521

WOS Identifier

WOS:000281254500024

ISSN

0360-0572; 978-0-8243-2236-6

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