Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Women And Homelessness: Evidence Of Need To Look Beyond Shelters To Long Term Social Service Assistance And Permanent Housing, Elizabeth Huttman, Sonjia Redmond

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Based on two surveys of staff in 25 homeless shelters in the San Francisco Bay area, this study focuses on services to homeless women and their children. Both the advantages and disadvantages of shelter living are discussed, as well as obstacles to moving homeless women and their children into permanent housing. The survey finds that there is a need for rapid movement out of the shelters and a concomitant need for long term social services.

To Survive And To Thrive: Integrating Services For The Homeless Mentally Ill, Marie D. Hoff, Katherine H. Briar, Kristin Knighton, Angie Van Ry

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

An intervention research project with homeless, chronically mentally ill persons demonstrated that linking rehabilitation services, such as employment skills and psycho-social stabilization, with survival services promotes success in serving this population. The project confirmed the central role of case managers in promoting engagement with mental health services and re-integration into stable community living.

Homeless In Philadelphia: A Qualitative Study Of The Impact Of State Welfare Reform On Individuals, Anthony Halter

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Although homelessness is not a new problem, the faces of the homeless are changing. For many, the term "homeless person" conjures up the image of a skid row alcoholic. However, the homeless now include unskilled middle-aged males, the chronically mentally ill, and families (Chaiklin, 1985). The reasons for the amplification of homelessness include unemployment, insufficient low-cost housing, alcohol and/or drug addiction, mental health deinstitutionalization and the inadequacy of community-based services. In addition, advocates for the homeless including Mitch Snyder (1986) and Jan Hagen (1986) have argued that federal and state welfare policy changes have served to shift potentially at-risk populations …

Acting On Their Own Behalf: Affiliation And Political Mobilization Among Homeless People, Marcia B. Cohen, David Wagner

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Homeless people have been portrayed in the literature as passive, isolated, and unable to act on their own behalf. The authors discuss the findings of an ethnographic study of homeless activists which challenge the stereotypical view of homeless people as disaffiliated and disempowered. Collective social action was found to have a long term impact on access to material resources, development of social networks, and construction of positive homeless identity.

Poverty, Homelessness, And Racial Exclusion, John R. Belcher

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article reviews the societal forces that have made homelessness the end result of racial exclusion and inner city isolation. It is argued that significant societal change is necessary to reduce racial exclusion and prevent homelessness.

Absence Of A Family Safety Net For Homeless Families, Kay Young Mcchesney

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Analysis of data from interviews of 80 mothers in five shelters for homeless families suggests that the availability of housing support from kin may be a selection mechanism determining which families become homeless. The availability of kin housing support is seen as a function of four factors: family structure, proximity, control of adequate housing resources, and estrangement. Policy implications are discussed

Five Year Cohort Study Of Homeless Families: A Joint Policy Research Venture, John J. Stretch, Larry W. Kreuger

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Over the past ten years there have been significant investments in families uprooted by homelessness, but no data which clearly delineated what types of families had been helped, and how long help may have sustained them. Reported are preliminary data on 875 families who resided in a 60 day family shelter from 1983 through 1987. Field interviews in 1989 with 201 of those families provide data on residential history, employment, familial and demographic changes, service needs and additional homeless episodes. Policy questions focus on current residential stability and community reintegration.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 19, No. 4 (December 1992)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

SPECIAL ISSUE ON HOMELESSNESS - Edited by Padmini Gulati

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• EDITORIAL - Padmini Gulati
• HOMELESSNESS IN PHILADELPHIA: A STUDY OF THE IMPACT OF STATE WELFARE REFORM ON INDIVIDUALS - Anthony Halter
• ACTING ON THEIR OWN BEHALF: AFFILIATION AND POLITICAL MOBILIZATION AMONG HOMELESS PEOPLE - Marcia B. Cohen and David Wagner
• POVERTY, HOMELESSNESS AND RACIAL EXCLUSION - John Belcher
• ABSENCE OF A FAMILY SAFETY NET FOR HOMELESS FAMILIES - Kay Young McChesney
• FIVE-YEAR COHORT STUDY OF HOMELESS FAMILIES: A JOINT POLICY RESEARCH VENTURE - John Stretch and Larry W. Kreuger
• WOMEN AND HOMELESSNESS: THE NEED TO LOOK BEYOND SHELTERS …

Ideology. Public Policy And Homeless Families, Padmini Gulati

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper was originally presented at the session of Ad hoc Committee on Housing and the Built Environment of the World Congress of Sociology held in Madrid. July 1990.

Entrepreneurial Activities Of Homeless Men, Steven Balkin

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Encouraging and assisting homeless people to become self-employed provides a way for some of them to increase their incomes, and may help close the gap between the cost of housing and labor market earnings. A survey of operators of homeless shelters was conducted to determine the types of work activities that adult homeless men participate in. Self-employment was found to be a common activity for a substantial proportion of adult homeless men; and a preferred mode of employment for many. Advantages and disadvantages of such an approach are discussed. Several program models are described which can be used to enhance …

Homelessness And The Low Income Housing Crisis, Cushing N. Dolbeare

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The cost of housing is beyond the means of a growing number of housholds. This "affordability gap" is the underlying cause of homelessness. Housing assistance to low income families is therefore a logical solution to the problem, in combination with other responses.

Rediscovering The Asylum, Sharon M. Keigher

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Spending a night at a typical big city shelter for the homeless has reminded the author of the massive and regimented environment in institutions that she had mistakenly believed no longer existed after the much acclaimed "deinstitutionalization" of America. St. Mary's is run by a religious order attempting to provide charitable care in a nondemanding environment. Many demands are made, however. The lack of privacy and respect for individuality inherent in institutional life tends to erode the "inmate's" very conception of self. It controls their activities, time, and choices, and thus creates barriers to exit. Providing "shelter" for the homeless …

Assessing The Impact Of Serving The Long-Term Mentally Disabled Homeless, Laura E. Blankertz, Ram A. Cnaan, Marlene Saunders

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Homelessness has emerged as a major social problem. In an attempt to understand this problem, attention has been focused on postulating its causes, describing the individuals who hold this status, and estimating its magnitude. This study assesses the outcome of one social service program for long-term mentally disabled homeless individuals. It includes a synopsis of the state of the art in serving homeless individuals with severe mental health problems; a description of a program created to meet their needs; and an analysis of the outcome of this program.

Homeless Persons' Interest In Basic And Health Services: The Role Of Absolute, Relative, And Repressed Needs, Russell K. Schutt

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study describes and explains the interest of homeless persons in housing, economic, and health-related services with intake interview data collected by a large urban shelter for single adults. Shelter guests were most interested in assistance with housing, job, and economic benefits, rather than health services. Three explanations of variation in service interests are identified: the "absolute needs" explanation expects service interests to vary directly with service needs, the "repressed needs" explanation expects service interests to vary inversely with alcoholism and mental illness, while the "relative needs" explanation expects interest in health-related services to be related to health needs, but …

Book Review: The Visible Poor: Homelessness In The United States By Joel Blau, Larry Kreuger

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

THE VISIBLE POOR: HOMELESSNESS IN THE UNITED STATES Joel Blau New York: Oxford University Press, 1992. $22.95 hardcover.

Intimate Femicide: An Ecological Analysis, Karen Stout

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This research identifies the killing of women by male partners as a multidimensional problem and, through empirical analysis, identifies relationships between intimate femicide and individual, family, community services, state status of women, and violence against women factors. The conceptual base follows an ecological framework. Individual demographic and situational factors are presented. The findings of the study indicate that factors within each of the ecological settings are associated with intimate femicide. An implication of this exploratory study is that intimate femicide is related to a number of state factors, including factors associated with gender inequality in a state.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 19, No. 3 (September 1992)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• EDITORIAL - Bob Leighninger
• BLACK PINK COLLAR WORKERS: ARDUOUS JOURNEY FROM FIELD AND KITCHEN - Judith B. Bremner
• INTIMATE FEMICIDE: AN ECOLOGICAL ANALYSIS - Karen Stout
• HOUSING AFFORDABILITY, STRESS AND SINGLE MOTHERS: PATHWAY TO HOMELESSNESS - Elizabeth A. Mulroy and Terry S. Lane
• ASSET-BASED SOCIAL WELFARE POLICY: HOMEOWNERSHIP FOR THE POOR - Alice K. Johnson and Michael Sherraden
• CORRELATES OF THE ELDERLY'S PARTICIPATION AND NONPARTICIPATION IN THE SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME (SSI) PROGRAM: A NEW EVALUATION - Namkee G. Choi
• A CONTINUUM THEORY FOR SOCIAL WORK KNOWLEDGE - Yair Caspi
• FEDERAL RELIEF PROGRAMS IN THE 19th CENTURY: A …

Black Pink Collar Workers: Arduous Journey From Field And Kitchen To Office, Judith B. Bremner

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The black female workers' journey from field to office was a long and arduous one. This paper examines the transition of black women from agricultural laborers to pink collar workers during the period 1900 to 1980. More black women than white women have had to work in paid employment in order to maintain their families economically. Discrimination against black pink collar workers in career advancement and the better-paying positions, is especially critical because so many black families are female-headed households in need of all the economic resources that the mother-breadwinner can obtain.

Correlates Of The Elderly's Participation And Nonparticipation In The Supplemental Security Income (Ssi) Program: A New Evaluation, Namkee G. Choi

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper analyzes the economic and sociodemographic factors associated with the elderly's participation and nonparticipation in the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. Unlike the previous findings based on the early phase of the program, this analysis found that the amount of benefit is no longer a significant predictor of participation for couples and individuals receiving support and maintenance. Level of education and housing status are now found to be consistently significantly associated with participation of all or most filing units. The paper concludes with a discussion of policy recommendations for more aggressive outreach efforts.

Primary Prevention Of Child Abuse: Is It Really Possible?, Mary K. Rodwell, Donald E. Chambers

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Despite the growing interest in child abuse and its prevention, to date no systematic research has been conducted to determine the usefulness of instruments used to identify and predict abuse or neglect. The present study is a review and analysis of predictive instruments of abuse or neglect with the goal of identifying the predictive efficiency of the instruments. Analysis reveals a variety of problems with predictive efficiency, particularly as predicting individual risk of abuse or neglect relates to primary prevention. Implications of the findings and suggestions for practice are discussed.

Housing Affordability, Stress And Single Mothers: Pathway To Homelessness, Elizabeth A. Mulroy, Terry S. Lane

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Examining the research literature in housing, planning, and the social sciences, this paper argues that the housing crisis of the 1980s spawned a new environmental stress, housing affordability, which has had devastating consequences for economically vulnerable single mothers and their children. A conceptual framework is developed that depicts how the housing affordability dilemma generates a pathway to homelessness beset by four pinchpoints: a resource squeeze that precipitates loss of permanent housing; residential mobility that destabilizes families; discrimination in the housing market that constrains housing choices; and multiple stressors that demoralize a fragile family system. Implications of these findings are discussed, …

Asset-Based Social Welfare Policy: Homeownership For The Poor, Alice K. Johnson, Michael Sherraden

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Asset-based social welfare policy is an emerging theme in public policy that focuses on accumulation of wealth rather than on levels of household consumption. In this paper, housing policy is used to illustrate asset-based policy for the poor. Rather than increasing income-based rent subsidies, asset-based housing policy would promote homeownership. Homeownership has played a critical role in the upward mobility of immigrant groups (Bauman, 1987) and the exiting of families from public housing (Fuerst & Williams, 1983). U.S. public policy promotes homeownership for the nonpoor, and we spend quite a lot of money on it. But for the poor, we …

A Continuum Theory For Social Work Knowledge, Yair Caspi

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Relativist approaches, to knowledge, suggested by some social workers as alternative to the predominant scientific logical positivistic approaches to knowledge, suffer from serious flaws. Between the poles of objectivism and relativism exists a third and more useful approach to knowledge in social work. This approach is presented and developed based on recent sources from the philosophy of knowledge, the philosophy of science, and metatheoretical developments in the social sciences. A continuum theory of knowledge, between objectivism and relativism, is suggested for social work. The continuum theory narrows the gap between research and practice and between the scientific side and the …

Federal Relief Programs In The 19th Century: A Reassessment, Frank M. Loewenberg

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The American model of the welfare state, incomplete as it may be, was not plucked out of thin air by the architects of the New Deal in the 1930s. Instead it is the product and logical evolution of a long historical process. 19th century federal relief programs for various population groups, including veterans, native Americans, merchant sailors, emancipated slaves, and residents of the District of Columbia, are examined in order to help better understand contemporary welfare developments.

Alive On The Street, Dead In The Classroom: The Return Of Radical Social Work And The Manufacture Of Activism, William De Maria

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

International evidence is presented for a renewal of radical social work. After a decade of monopolization by neoconservatism in all aspects of public policy and private consciousness, a new commitment to radical analysis and transformation is detected. Radical social work, the second time around, will need to avoid the earlier mistake of abandoning action for critique. In the context of social work education the manufacture of radicalism in the classroom is explored.

The Sealed Adoption Records Controversy In Historical Perspective: The Case Of The Children's Home Society Of Washington, 1895-1988, E. Wayne Carp

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

I would like to thank Charlie Langdon and D. Sharon Osborne, past and present Executive Directors of the Children's Home Society of Washington (CHSW), for permission to use the CHSW's case records, and Randy Perin, Supervisor of the CHSW's Adoption Resource Center, whose enthusiasm for this project has been inspirational. I am also grateful to Roger W. Toogood, Executive Director of the Children's Home Society of Minnesota (CHSM), and Marietta E. Spencer, Program Director, Post-Legal Adoption Services, CHSM, for permitting me access to the Society's case records. I would also like to thank Paula Shields, George Behlmer, Ruth Bloch, Clarke …

Organization Development Technologies In Community Development: A Case Study, Thomas Packard

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Organization development (OD) consultation technologies have been increasingly used by social workers in a variety of practice settings. Organization development is typically used in formal organizations, and there have been few reported applications in community development. This paper discusses the value of such applications and describes examples in a case study. Similarities between community development and organization development are presented. Technologies used are reviewed, followed by cautions and recommendations for further research

Helen Hall (1892-1982): A Second Generation Settlement Leader, Janice Andrews

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Helen Hall, settlement leader and second generation social worker, was a prominent social reformer for over fifty years. Her professional life spanned a period of early social work where her activities occurred along side those of first generation social workers, and continued through the depression, the war years, into the 1950s and the settlement movement's increasing attention to juvenile delinquency, and finally into the turbulent 1960s when her activities overlapped the modern generation of social workers. Despite her widespread work in national affairs and neighborhood concerns, her leadership in the National Federation of Settlement, her extensive writings and studies, Hall …

Organic Communities, Atomistic Societies, And Loneliness, Ben Mijuskovic

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The article distinguishes two models of human organization, the organic community and the atomistic society. It maintains that the organic paradigm stresses (a) the ideal unity of the whole; (b) organic or intrinsic relations; (c) living or dialectical processes; (d) the image of "members"; (e) the mutual interdependence of the members; (f) a role perspective; and (g) dynamic or natural functions. By contrast, the atomistic construction emphasizes (a) the value of individual freedom; (b) external connections; (c) mechanical or causal explanations; (d) the metaphor of "parts"; (e) the independence of the parts; (f) a rule orientation; and (g) a formalistic, …

Organization Development And Community Development: True Soulmates Or Uneasy Bedfellows?, Darlyne Bailey, Pranab Chatterjee

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Our paper is written to express both strong dissent from and partial support of Dr. Packard's article "Organization Development Technologies in Community Development: A Case Study." Beginning with a summation of the article, this paper introduces the main area of contention, provides a vignette to illustrate key points and concludes with affirmation of the need for reconciling the differences between organizational development (OD) and community development (CD) as two systems of planned change.