6.7 Chapter Summary
Nora Karena
The social problem of houselessness impacts all of us. Some of us have lived in our cars. Others of us are sleeping on a friend’s couch tonight. Many of us are just one missed paycheck away from failing to pay our rent. Even when we are stable, we walk by people asking for change or folks pushing shopping carts with all of their belongings almost every day. In this chapter, we have explored the causes and consequences of houselessness, from redlining to bluelining. We have examined the explanations of sin, sickness, and system to unpack our beliefs and explanations about this social problem. We have seen how communities and governments are weaving interdependent solutions to the problem. And yet, houselessness is still with us. The gap between incomes and rents continues to increase.
What will it take to achieve housing justice?
Essential Ideas
Learning Objective 1: How can we see houselessness as a social problem?
Houselessness is a social problem because it goes beyond the individual’s experience. Wider social forces like the economy or the amount of affordable housing in an area influence who is housing insecure. Houselessness reflects a conflict in values between businesses, the government, and the houseless people. Being poor, LGBTQIA+, a person of color, or other social locations that experience oppression increases your chances of being houseless. In addition, our ideas and explanations of who is houseless change over time. Even whether we call someone homeless or houseless is socially constructed. Finally, it requires action from advocates, non-profits, and businesses along with changes in laws and policies to end houselessness. Creating housing stability is social justice.
Learning Objective 2: How does the sociological concept of social stratification help sociologists explain the causes and consequences of houselessness?
Stratification is a socioeconomic system that divides society’s members into categories, ranking from high to low, based on things like wealth, power, and prestige. The higher your social class, the more likely you are to have stable housing. In fact, the more wealthy you are, the more likely you are to have multiple houses, own other people’s homes, or own vacation rentals. The less wealthy you are, the more likely your household is to be cost-burdened and therefore experience housing insecurity.
Learning Objective 3: Who is likely to experience housing insecurity or houselessness based on their social location?
Even though most homeless people are White men, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color are disproportionately houseless. LGBTQIA+ make up a disproportionate share of all homeless youth. Housing stability is a form of privilege.
Learning Objective 4: How have sociological explanations of housing insecurity changed over time?
Explanations of houselessness include sin: a person has a moral failing, sick: a person has an illness or a problem, or structure: systemic inequality causes houselessness. Sociologists recognize that racist exclusionary policies have created residential segregation and related housing instability. In addition, climate change and related natural disasters are creating additional housing insecurity, disproportionately impacting people in poverty.
Learning Objective 5: Which interdependent solutions to houselessness can create housing stability, a measure of social justice?
Because the causes of houselessness vary, interdependent solutions vary also. They include funding more shelters and temporary housing, focusing on housing first, building more affordable housing, de-criminalizing houselessness, and other options. Safe housing is a basic human right, and housing stability is social justice.
Key Terms Review
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Key Terms List
bluelining: real estate that is considered high risk due to low elevation, and flooding due to climate change, may not qualify for loans.
class: a group who shares a common social status based on factors like wealth, income, education, and occupation
cost burdened households: a household in which 30% or more of a household’s monthly gross income is dedicated to housing, making it difficult to pay for necessities
disproportionality: the overrepresentation or underrepresentation of a racial or ethnic group compared with its percentage in the total population.
homelessness: being unsheltered, having inadequate shelter, not having a permanent fixed residence, and/or lacking the resources to secure stable housing.
houselessness: the condition of not having a physical place to live.
housing insecurity: is a broad set of challenges, such as the inability to pay rent or utilities or the need to move frequently
income: the money a person earns from work or investments
natural disaster: unexpected natural events that cause significant loss of human life or disruption of essential services like food, water, or shelter.
poverty: the state of lacking the material and social resources an individual requires to live a healthy life.
redlining: the discriminatory practice of refusing loans to creditworthy applicants in neighborhoods that banks deem undesirable or racially occupied
residential segregation: the physical separation of two or more groups into different neighborhoods.
Socioeconomic Status (SES): an individual’s level of wealth, power, and prestige
stratification: a socioeconomic system that divides society’s members into categories ranking from high to low, based on things like wealth, power, and prestige. Also called inequality.
Discuss and Do
- Houselessness and Racism: The chart in Figure 6.18, Racist Policies, Racist Inequities, and Racist Ideas in Housing, illustrates Ibram X Kendi’s definition of racism as “…a marriage of racist policies and racist ideas that produce and sustain racial inequities” (2016). What is an example of racist policies, racial inequities, and racist ideas that have impacted who has a home?
- Houselessness and Privilege: One of the White privileges from Chapter 2 is the ability to acquire safe, stable housing. However, White people are the majority of houseless people. Is class or race more important in predicting who might be houseless?
- Sin, Sickness, and Structure: Three narratives, sin, sickness, and structure, are often used to explain why people are homeless. Please find a newspaper, magazine, blog, or other stories describing “the homeless problem.” Do you see sin, sickness, or structure narratives, or a combination of the three?
- Poverty Simulation: Open the link “Paying the Bills” and select “Make a Copy” when prompted. Complete the exercise.
- Different Needs Different Solutions: Different populations experience houselessness for unique reasons. Pick one of these populations and answer: Why are these folks houseless? What interdependent law, policy, or community solutions would help?
- Elders: The Aging Homeless Population Brings New Challenges
- Latino Homelessness: Stemming the Rise of Latino Homelessness: Lessons from LA County
- BIPOC: The Link Between Racism and Homelessness
- LGBTQ Youth: Homelessness and Housing Instability Among LGBTQ Youth
- Unhoused People who are Formerly Incarcerated: New data: The revolving door between homeless shelters and prisons in Connecticut
- Women: Women More Likely to Face Housing Insecurity in Pandemic-Led Recession
- College Students: Supporting Students’ Housing Security in Oregon
- K-12 Students: Dozens Of Oregon School Districts Likely Undercounting Homeless Students
- You can also analyze a social group that interests you
Licenses and Attributions for Chapter Summary
Open Content, Original
“Chapter Summary” by Nora Karena is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
“Poverty Simulation: Paying the Bills” by Kaitlin Hakanson is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Based on ideas from “See Poverty … Be The Difference: Discover the Missing Pieces for Helping People Move Out of Poverty” by D.M. Beegle (2006), Communication Across Barriers.
a social condition or pattern of behavior that has negative consequences for individuals, our social world, or our physical world
lacking a place to live
an acronym that stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, and more.
full and equal participation of of all groups in a society that is mutually shaped to meet their needs
a socioeconomic system that divides society’s members into categories ranking from high to low, based on things like wealth, power, and prestige. Also called inequality.
a group of people who live in a defined geographic area, who interact with one another, and who share a common culture
the total amount of money and assets an individual or group owns
the ability of an actor to sway the actions of another actor or actors, even against resistance
a broad set of challenges, such as the inability to pay rent or utilities or the need to move frequently
the combination of factors including gender, race, social class, age, ability, religion, sexual orientation, and geographic location that define an individual or group in relationship to power and privilege
an advantage that is unearned, exclusive to a particular group or social category, and socially conferred by others
the physical separation of two groups, particularly in residence, but also in workplace and social functions.
the long-term shift in global and regional temperatures, humidity and rainfall patterns, and other atmospheric characteristics
the state of lacking the material and social resources an individual requires to live a healthy life.