Blackwell Reference Online

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The sociological conceptualization of homelessness has pivoted on two dimensions: social disaffiliation and residential impermanence. The disaffiliation dimension, associated primarily with research on Skid Row alcoholics of the 1950s, emphasizes the interpersonal and institutional disconnection of the homeless. Although many homeless individuals lack the affiliative bonds that link most domiciled folks to various institutional structures, not all homeless are socially atomized. Many of them are connected interpersonally to other homeless, some maintain contact with relatives, and most are connected in various degrees to an array of street agencies and programs. Moreover, the majority of homeless individuals are not chronically homeless, as they cycle on and off the street and between street and mainstream agencies and institutions. Because there is considerable variation among the homeless along the atomization continuum, disaffiliation can be best regarded as a variable dimension of homelessness rather than the defining characteristic. Consequently, recent conceptualization emphasizes the residential dimension. Defined in terms of residence, individuals or families without a permanent place of their own that meets the minimal standards of a residence in their respective cultures are generally thought of as homeless. This would include within the US and much of the developed world ... log in or subscribe to read full text