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Social Work Commons

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Place and Environment

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Western Michigan University

2002

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Social Work

Not In My Social World: A Cultural Analysis Of Media Representations, Contested Spaces, And Sympathy For The Homeless, James A. Forte Dec 2002

Not In My Social World: A Cultural Analysis Of Media Representations, Contested Spaces, And Sympathy For The Homeless, James A. Forte

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The social constructionist approach offers conceptual tools that may augment social workers' persuasive powers and problem solving capacities. In this case study, I examine a newspaper campaign to cast the homeless in negative terms and justify the closing of a shelter. Findings are presented as seven themes used by competing claims-makers. Each constructs a different depiction of the homeless, of homelessness, and of preferred solutions. Linkages between community memberships and favored problem definitions are identified. I conclude with suggestions for how "intelligent social reconstruction" might help social workers function as sympathy brokers for the vulnerable. (Key words: homelessness, NIMBY, mass …


Assets And Neighboring: An Exploration Into Household Assets And Efforts To Be A Good Neighbor, Tim Reutebuch Dec 2002

Assets And Neighboring: An Exploration Into Household Assets And Efforts To Be A Good Neighbor, Tim Reutebuch

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A non-random, cross-sectional sampling procedure was utilized in this study to explore the relationship between the level of household assets and their corresponding level of neighboring. Surveys from 111 households were collected from September 1997, to April 1999, in seven Ohio counties to elucidate the relationship between the level of assets in working poor households and selected household demographic variables, and their propensity to provide various forms of community assistance over the previous month from the time of survey. Findings revealed that households 1) with more than one adult and 2) with lower levels of monthly earned income were more …