Examining the relationship between structural factors, individual characteristics, and homelessness

Abstract

This Positioning Paper is the first part of a project that seeks to examine interactions between macro structures such as changes to housing and labour markets, and the micro processes that render individuals vulnerable to homelessness. The empirical findings will be presented in a Final Report, due in early 2015. There are five key messages in the paper. First, despite a long standing recognition among policy-makers and researchers that homelessness results from the interaction of structural factors and individual characteristics, the literature tends to be divided into those opting for structural explanations and those opting for individual explanations. No study, either locally or interna..