This volume represents a new theoretical and empirical approach
to the study of homelessness. Rather than focusing on the
behavioral characteristics and social deviance of the homeless
themselves, the incomes, rents, and demographic characteristics of
a population of renters who may be at risk of homelessness are
examined. Based on a study in four U.S. metropolitan areas of
changes over an eight year period in the stock of low-cost rental
housing and the need of low-income households for affordable
housing, Karin Ringheim contends that the extent of homelessness in
individual areas is not simply related to the extent of poverty in
those areas. Rather, she argues, the increase in the number and
change in composition of the homeless population is a direct result
of the severity of the housing squeeze and the demographic
characteristics of those most vulnerable to housing loss. Among the
issues the study addresses are the mismatch between available
rental housing stock and what would be affordable to the low income
population, changes in the cost and quality of rental housing over
time, and changes in the demographic characteristics of
increasingly vulnerable renters.
Following an introductory chapter, Ringheim proposes a theory of
structural change and discusses the two most prominent competing
theories of homelessness. She develops the criteria used to select
the the four metropolitan areas that form the focus of the study:
Baltimore, Houston, Chicago, and Seattle. After describing the data
and methodology used in the study, the author devotes a chapter to
background and analysis of each of the metropolitan areas
individually. A separate chapter explores the relationship between
the quality and price of rental housing, while the final chapter
summarizes the findings and discusses their policy implications. In
addition to demonstrating that the increase in the homeless
population has been accompanied by a decrease in the supply of
low-cost rental housing and an increase in the demand for it,
Ringheim shows that both supply and affordability have been
adversely affected by changes in federal policy during the 1980s,
suggesting that these changes are directly linked to the increase
in homelessness. Sociologists, economists, urban planners, and
public policy makers involved in seeking solutions to the growing
problem of homelessness, as well as those concerned with housing
and tenure, will find this volume insightful and informative.
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