2022
DOI: 10.1177/10780874221095185
|View full text |Cite
|
Sign up to set email alerts
|

What Does it Mean to be Homeless? How Definitions Affect Homelessness Policy

Abstract: Government agencies use varying criteria in defining homelessness. While scholars debate over and use different definitions of homelessness, little research has explored the impacts the definition has on perceived problem severity and the types of communities receiving aid. I first explore four definitions of child and youth homelessness used by United States’ federal agencies. I then use panel data for school districts, which report homelessness by subgroup, to analyze how the definition of homelessness chang… Show more

Help me understand this report

Search citation statements

Order By: Relevance

Paper Sections

Select...
4
1

Citation Types

1
7
0

Year Published

2023
2023
2024
2024

Publication Types

Select...
9
1

Relationship

0
10

Authors

Journals

citations
Cited by 21 publications
(8 citation statements)
references
References 40 publications
1
7
0
Order By: Relevance
“…Furthermore, regarding the eligibility, demonstrating one’s experiencing homelessness implies an often-intrusive procedure. As addressed by Busch-Geertsema (2010), Busch-Geertsema et al (2016), Pleace and Hermans (2020), and Sullivan (2022), we confirm that the definition of homelessness is clearly subject to many disputes. Moreover, to be eligible, the claimants need to apply for social assistance.…”
Section: Conclusion and Discussionsupporting
confidence: 78%
“…Furthermore, regarding the eligibility, demonstrating one’s experiencing homelessness implies an often-intrusive procedure. As addressed by Busch-Geertsema (2010), Busch-Geertsema et al (2016), Pleace and Hermans (2020), and Sullivan (2022), we confirm that the definition of homelessness is clearly subject to many disputes. Moreover, to be eligible, the claimants need to apply for social assistance.…”
Section: Conclusion and Discussionsupporting
confidence: 78%
“…However, specifically for homelessness, the results are still limited to a subset of those who are often considered homeless. While many countries (e.g., the United Kingdom and Australia) and even other United States agencies (e.g., Department of Education) consider households doubling up as homeless, CoCs do not (Sullivan, 2023). A person is considered to be doubling up if they live with friends or family due to economic hardship, loss of housing, or a similar reason.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Definitions of homelessness can be challenging with no agreed definitions globally [ 34 ]. This is exacerbated by limited surveillance data on health, housing, and social care needs, which isn’t routinely collected as it is for the general population.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%