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Who are 'the homeless'? Reconsidering the stability and composition of the homeless population

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  • Phelan, J.C.
  • Link, B.G.

Abstract

Objectives. This study assessed the extent to which the use of point- prevalence samples biases conclusions drawn about homeless people. Methods. Three data sets and published research were used to examine the degree to which conditions leading to point-prevalence bias (turnover in the homeless population, variability in the persistence of homelessness, and associations between personal characteristics and persistence) characterize the homeless population. Results were compared from point-prevalence studies concerning persistence of homelessness and characteristics of homeless people with those from a study of formerly homeless people. Results. Conditions leading to point-prevalence bias strongly characterize the homeless population. Moreover profiles of homeless people differed dramatically between point-prevalence studies and the study of formerly homeless people. In the former, average duration of homelessness was longer, and samples included higher proportions of men, minorities, non-high school graduates, and people with histories of psychiatric hospitalization, incarceration, and detoxification. Conclusions. Reliance on point-prevalence samples, when such samples are generalized beyond the currently homeless population, leads to overestimations of the persistence of homelessness, the demographic distinctiveness of the homeless population, and the prevalence of personal disabilities and deviant lifestyles among homeless people.

Suggested Citation

  • Phelan, J.C. & Link, B.G., 1999. "Who are 'the homeless'? Reconsidering the stability and composition of the homeless population," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 89(9), pages 1334-1338.
    • Handle: RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:1999:89:9:1334-1338_4
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. John M. Quigley & Steven Raphael, 2001. "The Economics Of Homelessness: The Evidence From North America," European Journal of Housing Policy, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 1(3), pages 323-336.
    2. S. J. Farrell & E. D. Reissing, 2004. "Picking Up the Challenge," Evaluation Review, , vol. 28(2), pages 144-155, April.
    3. Rosanna Scutella & Guy Johnson, 2012. "Locating and Designing 'Journeys Home': A Literature Review (Journeys Home: A Longitudinal Study of Factors Affecting Housing Stability)," Melbourne Institute Working Paper Series wp2012n11, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne.
    4. John M. Quigley & Steven Raphael & Eugene Smolensky, 2001. "Homeless In America, Homeless In California," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 83(1), pages 37-51, February.
    5. Devin Q. Rutan & Matthew Desmond, 2021. "The Concentrated Geography of Eviction," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 693(1), pages 64-81, January.
    6. Cobb-Clark, Deborah A. & Herault, Nicolas & Scutella, Rosanna & Tseng, Yi-Ping, 2016. "A journey home: What drives how long people are homeless?," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 57-72.
    7. Martijn, Claudine & Sharpe, Louise, 2006. "Pathways to youth homelessness," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 62(1), pages 1-12, January.
    8. Anita Hubley & Lara Russell & Anita Palepu & Stephen Hwang, 2014. "Subjective Quality of Life Among Individuals who are Homeless: A Review of Current Knowledge," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 115(1), pages 509-524, January.
    9. Brent Berry, 2007. "A Repeated Observation Approach for Estimating the Street Homeless Population," Evaluation Review, , vol. 31(2), pages 166-199, April.
    10. Padgett, Deborah K., 2007. "There's no place like (a) home: Ontological security among persons with serious mental illness in the United States," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 64(9), pages 1925-1936, May.
    11. Vincent A. Fusaro & Helen G. Levy & H. Luke Shaefer, 2018. "Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Lifetime Prevalence of Homelessness in the United States," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 55(6), pages 2119-2128, December.
    12. Sarah Febres-Cordero & Daniel Jackson Smith, 2022. "Stayin’ Alive in Little 5: Application of Sentiment Analysis to Investigate Emotions of Service Industry Workers Responding to Drug Overdoses," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-12, October.

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