Racial discrimination in the life course of older adults experiencing homelessness: results from the HOPE HOME study

Abstract

Over 2.5 million people experience homelessness yearly in the United States. Black persons are overrepresented by three-fold among those experiencing homelessness but little research has examined the relationship between race and homelessness. We aimed to understand the relationship between race and the experience of homelessness for older adults. We used grounded theory methodology to analyze in-depth qualitative interviews (n = 65) of persons experiencing homelessness. We recruited participants who were enrolled in two sub-studies of the Health Outcomes of People Experiencing Homelessness in Older Middle AgE (HOPE HOME) Study in Oakland California. We identified two major themes within interviews with Black participants (n=52) related to race: (1) participants experienced overt racial discrimination in early life and (2) structural racism precipitated and perpetuated adult homelessness. Further, we identified sub-themes of structural racism that contributed to participants becoming or staying homeless: criminal justice discrimination, employment discrimination, exposure to violence, premature death, and limited family wealth. We developed a theoretical model of how these elements of structural racism may increase susceptibility to homelessness. These relationships between racial discrimination and homelessness may serve as targets for policies aimed at preventing homelessness.

Factors Associated with Incarceration in Older Adults Experiencing Homelessness: Results from the HOPE HOME Study

“…[57][58][59] Black Americans are significantly more likely to become homeless due to structural racism (i.e., educational and employment discrimination, lack of family wealth and homeownership) so there may be lower rates of individual risk factors for incarceration (e.g., behavioral health challenges). 60 Thus, non-Black participants may have individual risk factors that elevated their risk of incarceration in a way that we did not account for. Future studies should be conducted to better understand this finding.…”

The Role of Universal Basic Income in Preventing and Ending Homelessness

“…Income source-based discrimination in housing could be prevented by the universality of UBI, as all prospective tenants have a common income source. It is important to note that many people experiencing homelessness encounter multiple forms of housing discrimination (e.g., related to race and ethnicity, gender identity and sexual orientation, family composition, unemployment, history of involvement in the criminal justice system; Ecker et al, 2019;Paul et al, 2020;Walsh et al, 2016) that extend beyond income source and for which UBI may have less of an effect. Accordingly, on its own, the impacts of UBI on housing discrimination are more likely to be incremental than transformative.…”

Who Are the Homeless? Centering Anti-Black Racism and the Consequences of Colorblind Homeless Policies

“…Although research from the 1980s and 1990s documents the disproportionate rates of homelessness among Black people (Hopper and Milburn 1996), scholars have only recently started examining and addressing racial disparities in the homeless population (Aviles de Bradley 2015;Edwards 2020;Olivet et al 2021;Paul et al 2020). As such, scholars have yet to thoroughly theorize how racial dynamics have shaped social policy and research on homelessness.…”