Personal and Political?: Exploring the Feminization of the American Homeless Population

Abstract

Using a feminist lens, this exploratory study discusses self-reported differences between male and female homelessness. A sample of homeless individuals (N = 105) in a mid-size southern city was collected to investigate the factors associated with the growing female homeless population. The data reveal that while some root causes of homelessness such as poverty, lack of affordable housing, cut backs in the welfare system, mental illness, drug dependency, and lack of state support, are seen throughout the homeless population, domestic violence and sexual abuse disproportionately impacts women. The results of this study indicate that while women may be less likely to become homeless than their male counterparts, homeless women are significantly more likely to report family and economic-related causes as their reasons for becoming homeless. According to the most recent statistics by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, of the 3.5 million people who are homeless, 17% are women and 39% are children (National Coalition of the Homeless, 2008). These women are often victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse (Baker, Cook, & Norris, 2003 Baker, C. K., Cook, S. L. and Norris, F. H. 2003. Domestic violence and housing problems: A contextual analysis of women's help-seeking, received informal support, and formal system response. Violence Against Women, 9(7): 754–783. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Browne & Bassuk, 1997 Browne, A. and Bassuk, S. 1997. Intimate violence in the lives of homeless and poor housed women: Prevalence and patterns in an ethically diverse sample. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 67(2): 261–278. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Goodman, 1991 Goodman, L. A. 1991. The prevalence of abuse among homeless and poor housed mothers. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 61: 489–500. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). They lack education, affordable housing, affordable childcare, and medical care. In addition, many times these women suffer from drug abuse and mental illness. They are turned away from shelters that are filled to capacity and often left with no other option than to attempt to survive on the streets. This study proposes that it is the dual nature of victimization (personal and political) that has manifested in a steadily increasing female homeless population. This exploratory analysis utilizes a sample of homeless men and women to conduct a comparative inquiry on various personal and political factors related to becoming homeless.