Home > Categories > Social Sciences and the Law > Sociology and Social Reform > Sociology: General Terms and Concepts > homelessness

homelessness

From: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | Date: 2008

homelessness the condition of not having a permanent place to live, widely perceived as a societal problem only beginning in the 1980s. Estimates of the number of homeless people in the United States are imprecise, but in the late 1990s ranged from 700,000 per night to 2 million per year. A survey made in 1994 found that 12 million Americans had experienced homelessness at some point in their lives; the vast majority of those who are homeless consists of single men and families with children. The problem exists in all major cities and many smaller communities. The causes range from large-scale deinstitutionalization of mentally ill people to disintegration of the social fabric in minority communities, drug and alcohol abuse, relatively stagnant wages at lower income levels, cutbacks in federal social-welfare programs, job loss, reductions in public housing, and rent increases and real-estate speculation. The McKinney Act (1987) established federal support for the building and maintenance of emergency homeless shelters; some 3,700 agencies and organizations now operate shelters.

Author not available, HOMELESSNESS., The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition 2008

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press

For permission to reuse this article, contact Copyright Clearance Center.

Related articles from HighBeam Research:

	Reckoning with Homelessness.(Book Review) Michigan Law Review; 5/1/2004; Baron, Jane B.; 12260 words; RECKONING WITH HOMELESSNESS. By Kim Hopper. Ithaca: Cornell ... Could it be that understanding homelessness and poverty is less a function ... anthropologist Kim Hopper's Reckoning with Homelessness, (1) and it echoes claims made ...
	Short- and long-term homelessness and adolescents' self-esteem, depression, locus of control and social supports. Australian Journal of Social Issues; 11/1/2002; Saade, Rachel Winkelman, Cecelia; 5232 words; The literature on homelessness in the 1960's and early 1970's ... In fact, the problem of youth homelessness is not new. It is rather that awareness ... Committee on Social Welfare, 1982). Homelessness tends to be defined in terms of ...
	Rural Homelessness: Issues, Experiences and Policy Responses Rural Sociology; 6/1/2003; Struthers, Cynthia B; 1075 words; Rural Homelessness: Issues, Experiences and Policy Responses ... explores the shifting context of homelessness in relation to rural areas in the ... thoroughly explore the context of homelessness in rural areas of the UK and provide ...
	SOLVING HOMELESSNESS STARTS AT CITY LEVEL.(LOCAL) The Virginian Pilot; 1/13/2003; 588 words; ... KNEPLER THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT Let's end homelessness in 10 years. Impossible, you say. Before ... adopted comprehensive strategies to end homelessness, according to a national advocacy group ... Not yet. The National Alliance to End Homelessness began promoting the 10-year goal in ...
	San Leandro adopts countywide plan on homelessness Oakland Tribune; 11/22/2006; Martin Ricard; 542 words; SAN LEANDRO -- Homelessness is a difficult problem to solve ... aren't always guaranteed, ending homelessness depends much less on how big the ... adopt a countywide plan to end homelessness in 15 years, called EveryOne Home ...
	Are shelters the answer to family homelessness? USA Today; 1/1/2003; Nunez, Ralph Da Costa; Caruso, Laura M; 1977 words; ... independence and economic viability." FAMILY HOMELESSNESS is undergoing a marked transformation ... sustained poverty during the 1990s, homelessness is on the verge of taking yet another ... and ultimately forced thousands into homelessness. Twenty years ago, one-time housing ...
	NORFOLK PANEL TO FORM PLAN TO FIGHT HOMELESSNESS.(LOCAL) The Virginian Pilot; 2/12/2003; 533 words; ... a national movement to end homelessness in 10 years. The City Council ... cities that have pledged to end homelessness through comprehensive action ... Norfolk Advisory Committee on Homelessness will return to the council ...
	U.S. Conference of Mayors-Sodexho, Inc. Hunger and Homelessness Survey 2005 (1/2) U.S. Newswire; 12/19/2005; 1053 words; ... of Mayors-Sodexho, Inc. Hunger and Homelessness Survey was released today during a ... S. Conference of Mayors Hunger and Homelessness Taskforce. Others joining Mayor Newsom ... the Conference of Mayors Hunger and Homelessness Taskforce, Rod Bond, president of Sodexho ...
	Audioconference will focus on helping people exit homelessness through employment.(Leadership to End Homelessness ) Nation's Cities Weekly; 2/7/2005; 370 words; ... are helping to prevent and end homelessness in Boston, will be the next feature in the Leadership to End Homelessness Audioconference Series on Thursday ... The National Alliance to End Homelessness has recognized the IMPACT program ...
	A 10-year goal to end homelessness; Challenge of local groups meeting Friday Intelligencer Journal Lancaster, PA; 10/23/2002; Susan Lindt; 662 words; Ten years from now, homelessness could be history in Lancaster ... understanding the cause and effect of homelessness. "It's not just about not having ... Legal Services. "The causes of homelessness are multifaceted and so are the ...
	10-year plan already progressing against chronic homelessness New Haven Register; 5/3/2007; Charles Kochakian; 648 words; ... a 10-year plan to end chronic homelessness. The cornerstone of these plans ... the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness -- is developing safe, affordable ... deal with the root causes of homelessness without first providing a stable living environment. Chronic homelessness is defined as being ...
	HOMELESSNESS, HUNGER WORSEN, MAYORS' REPORT FINDS EMERGENCY NEEDS FOR FOOD, SHELTER RISE FOR FAMILIES The Boston Globe; 12/19/2003; Mary Leonard, Globe Staff; 904 words; ... dismal picture yesterday of growing homelessness and hunger among low-income, working ... social services. "We are all tired of homelessness, and no more so than the homeless people themselves," Mangano said at a news conference yesterday, vowing to "end ... administration plan to attack chronic ...
	Cities plan conference on homelessness in region.(SportsL) The Virginian Pilot; 1/20/2006; 560 words; ... Hampton Roads, seeking to combat homelessness on a regional level, will hold ... multiple barriers, including homelessness, to find employment. The South ... Regional Conference on Ending Homelessness will be Feb. 1 at the Virginia ...
	Chronic Homelessness Gets Attention of Congress Washington Informer; 10/22/2003; Doku, Sam; 1042 words; ... problem in the country--long-lasting homelessness. It is estimated that nationally ... year's end. The acute problem of homelessness has compelled a bi-partisan sponsorship ... takes care of its hapless and needy. Homelessness is not the only headache the bill ... Act, legislation designed to end ...
	Cities plan conference on homelessness in region.(Virginia Beach Beacon) The Virginian Pilot; 1/15/2006; 565 words; ... Hampton Roads, seeking to combat homelessness on a regional level, will hold ... multiple barriers, including homelessness, to find employment. The South ... Regional Conference on Ending Homelessness will be Feb. 1 at the Virginia ...