A Longitudinal Analysis of Violence and Housing Insecurity

Abstract

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Homelessness research: A guide for economists (and friends)

“…This is true regardless of whether the shocks are on average harmful (homelessness is scarring) or helpful (homelessness aids recovery). Diette and Ribar (2018) look at the compound outcome of homelessness (approximately cultural) and violence. Both men and women in the Journeys Home sample experience violence at high rates, and both violence and housing instability in one period lead to violence and housing instability six months later, for both men and women.…”

Using risk terrain modeling to predict homeless related crime in Los Angeles, California

“…For example, Lee & Schreck (2005) find that different risky lifestyle behaviors (such as sleeping outdoors or panhandling), increase ones risk of violent and property victimization, along with other more distal and demographic factors in a cross-sectional survey. Diette & Ribar (2018) examine victimization in a longitudinal panel design, and find that housing insecurity increases future risk of violence, independent of prior risks of violence. The findings appear similar for offending as well, with Crawford, Whitbeck, & Hoyt (2009) finding that self-reported measures of violent offending among a sample of juveniles were more likely among homeless youth that participated in selling drugs or were in a gang, as was a history of caretaker abuse.…”

“…Homelessness is not a monolithic category. Most individuals are not chronically homeless, but experience more brief, intermediate spells (Diette & Ribar, 2018). The needs of the intermittently homeless may be easier to address than the chronic homeless (Listwan et al, 2018), but the ability of the state to intervene on their behalf is much more limited.…”

“…Tackling problems related to homelessness is intrinsically related to policing (Bittner, 1967;Huey, 2007;White, 2010). Homeless individuals are at higher risk of both being victimized by crime (Diette & Ribar, 2018;Ellsworth, 2018) as well as at higher risk of committing crime (Crawford, Whitbeck, & Hoyt, 2011;Listwan, Hartman, & LaCourse, 2018). Even absent involvement in serious crimes, loitering and camping in public places are frequently a citable offense (Berk & MacDonald, 2010;Robinson, 2017;Stuart, 2016), and as such police are often tasked with dealing with homeless individuals and the subsequent disorder they are associated with (Vitale, 2010).…”

The roles of housing, financial, and food insecurities in understanding the relationship between childhood neglect and violence in adulthood

“…Adequate housing is also related to the psychological and social well-being of residents [ 20 ]. While most of the research on housing insecurity focuses on physical health outcomes, mental health or the psychological benefits of adequate housing, there is some evidence that housing insecurity is associated with crime [ 17 , 21 , 22 ]. For example, in a qualitative study of women victims, housing instability along with food insecurity were identified as key contributors to intimate partner violence [ 17 ].…”