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Date: November 22, 2024 Fri
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Results for homelessness
86 results foundAuthor: Legler, Mark S. Title: Homeless Young Adults and Criminal Victimization: Analysis and Comparison of Police Records in Hennepin County, Minnesota Summary: Building on research that has shown high rates of victimization amongst homeless youth, this paper examines rates for a cohort of homeless youth and a comparison group of low-income youth. The data is analyzed in two parts: an examination of 29 months of arrest and victimization records for homeless young adults provided services at a youth homeless outreach service in Minneapolis, and a comparison of 13 months of those records against the records of a cohort of young adults receiving food assistance. The association between criminal perpetration and victimization are analyzed as well as the effect of demographic variables (age, gender, and race). African Americans compose the majority of both the homeless and control samples (62% and 57% respectively). Thirty-two percent of the homeless sample was arrested during the 29 month period. Twenty-three percent of the homeless sample was arrested during the 13 month period versus 15% of the food assistance recipients. Statistical tests for differences between percentages, a comparison of total number of victimizations, and a regression of demographic variables were conducted to determine overall victimization prevalence and stand-alone effects of variables. Results from the 29 month analysis of homeless youth indicate that a substantial number have been victims of crimes, with 27% of the sample experiencing victimization. Eighteen percent had been the victim of a personal crime. Thirteen percent had been the victim of a property crime. Those with an arrest during the time period were over three times as likely to be the victim of a personal crime (31%) and over three-and-a-half times as likely to be the victim of any crime (45%). No differences between gender, race, or age were significant in the regressions. Using rough estimations based on crime rates in Minneapolis, a homeless young adult is over seven and a half times more likely to be personally victimized than the average Minneapolis young adult. Results from the 13 month comparison do not show a significant difference in the number of homeless young adults victimized (12%) and the number of young adults utilizing food support victimized (9%). The combined cohort had significantly higher female property victimization (6% vs. 1%). Those arrested in the combined sample had higher rates of victimization overall (16% vs. 9%). The homeless sample had more total victimizations than the control sample (62 vs. 44). The homeless sample also suffered twice as many assaults as the control sample (20 vs. 10). Results from this study bring a broader understanding of victimization as affecting many low-income individuals: housed, homeless, perpetrators, and non-perpetrators. The insignificance of race, gender, and age suggest crime for homeless young adults is a symptom of context and environment. Findings suggest that risk factors do not spontaneously appear amongst a diverse group of homeless young adults, but are rather symptoms of environments that homeless and marginalized youth are forced to choose from. This research can lead to more effective policy prescriptions by helping to improve intervention strategies that minimize the chance of future victimizations and reduce the harm associated with such occurrences. Details: Minneapolis: Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota, 2013. 38p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed May 23, 2015 at: https://conservancy.umn.edu/bitstream/handle/11299/150436/Legler_Homeless%20Young%20Adults%20and%20Criminal%20Victimization.pdf?sequence=1 Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: https://conservancy.umn.edu/bitstream/handle/11299/150436/Legler_Homeless%20Young%20Adults%20and%20Criminal%20Victimization.pdf?sequence=1 Shelf Number: 129677 Keywords: HomelessnessRunawaysVictimizationYoung Adults |
Author: Penfold, Clarissa Title: Homelessness Prevention and Meeting Housing Need of (Ex)Offenders: A Guide to Practice Summary: This guide to practice in homelessness prevention and meeting housing need for (ex) offenders was commissioned by Communities and Local Government and overseen by a steering group including representatives from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), Home Office and Youth Justice Board (YJB). It is based on research undertaken by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) in collaboration with Nacro and the Centre for Housing Policy (University of York). The guide is intended to help local authorities and their local partners address the housing needs and prevent homelessness of (ex)offenders. This guide should be read alongside the Homelessness Code of Guidance for Local Authorities (Communities and Local Government, 2006a) issued by the Secretaries of State, which local authorities must have regard to by law when exercising their homelessness functions, and Homelessness Prevention: A Guide to Good Practice (Communities and Local Government, 2006b) which provides non-statutory, good practice guidance for preventing homelessness through a range of activities commonly operated by local authorities. Also of relevance to this guide is non-statutory guidance published by Communities and Local Government and the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), Joint working between Housing and Children's Services: Preventing homelessness and tackling its effects on children and young people (Communities and Local Government & DCSF, 2008). This includes specific guidance on joint working to prevent and tackle homelessness for 16 and 17 year olds and young people leaving care. This guide is intended to complement existing guidance by providing further detail on promising practice relating to assistance for (ex)offenders. This introductory chapter provides: - a brief overview of the policy context for the research - a description of the research methodology - an outline of the structure of the guide Details: London: Great Britain, Department for Communities and Local Government, 2009. 89p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 17, 2018 at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/595212/Homeless_prevention_and_meeting_the_needs_of_ex-offenders_archived.pdf Year: 2009 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/595212/Homeless_prevention_and_meeting_the_needs_of_ex-offenders_archived.pdf Shelf Number: 117122 Keywords: Ex-OffendersHomelessnessHousingPrisoner Reentry |
Author: Nellis, Ashley Title: Back on Track: Supporting Youth Reentry from Out-of-Home Placement to the Community Summary: Members of the Juvenile Justice Reentry Task Force and the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Coalition offer this issue brief to raise awareness and encourage investment of resources to expand reentry services nationally. It outlines the concept of reentry services in theory and practice, offers a review of federal policy previously enacted to support reentry, suggests opportunities for improvements in public policy, and reviews promising initiatives. Details: Washington, DC: National Alliance to End Homelessness and The Sentencing Project, 2009 Source: Youth Reentry Task Force of the Juvenile Justice and Deliquency Prevention Coalition Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: Shelf Number: 117358 Keywords: HomelessnessJuvenile JusticeReentry |
Author: Van Vleet, Russell K. Title: Evaluation of the Homeless Assitance Rental Program (HARP): Final Report Summary: This final report offers a process and outcome evaluation on the Homeless Assitance Rental Program (HARP). HARP serves clients that have extensive criminal justice system involvement. It offers rental assistance and regular case management to the targeted high-risk population (housing need, co-morbidity with mental health and substance abuse diagnoses). Details: Salt Lake City, UT: Utah Criminal Justice Center, University of Utah, 2007 Source: Year: 2007 Country: United States URL: Shelf Number: 114858 Keywords: Homelessness |
Author: Levin, Cecilia Friedman Title: Insult to Injury: Violations of the Violence Against Women Act Summary: The authors of this report find that a significant number of domestic violence victims have faced discrimination when applying for housing. Further findings indicate the domestic violence victims are routinely evicted from housing for reasons directly related to the actions of their abusers. Details: Washington, DC: National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, 2009 Source: Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: Shelf Number: 115793 Keywords: Domestic ViolenceHomelessnessVictims |
Author: Berk, Richard Title: Policing the Homeless: An Evaluation of Efforts to Reduce Homeless-Related Crime Summary: Police officials across the United Sates are increasingly relying on place-based approaches for crime prevention. This article examines the Safer Cities Initiative, a widely publicized place-based policing intervention implemented in Los Angeles's Skid Row and focused on crime and disorder associated with homeless encampments. Crime reduction was the goal. The police division in which the program was undertaken provides 8 years of times series data serving as the observations for the treatment condition. Four adjacent police divisions in which the program was not undertaken provide 8 years time series data serving as the observations for the comparison condition. The data are analyzed using a generalized additive model. On balance, the study found that this place-based intervention is associated with meaningful reductions in violent, property, and nuisance street crimes. There is no evidence of crime displacement. Details: Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, Department of Statistics & Department of Criminology, 2009. 32p. Source: Working Paper Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: Shelf Number: 118399 Keywords: Crime PreventionDisplacementHomeless EncampmentsHomelessnessPlace-Based PolicingStreet Crimes |
Author: Arnull, Elaine Title: Housing Needs and Experiences Summary: This report presents the outcome of a 12 month study to identify the extent to which young offenders' housing needs were being bet or failed. It had two principle aims: (1) To provide a picture of the housing issues which face young offenders, based on national trends and data collated from Youth Offending Teams, the secure estate and other specialist agencies; (2) To provide an in-depth understanding from the perspective of young people who face accommodation issues in the Youth Justice System and to reflect the views of practitioners and key stakeholders. Details: London: Youth Justice Board, 2007. 138p. Source: Internet Resource Year: 2007 Country: United Kingdom URL: Shelf Number: 113919 Keywords: HomelessnessHousing, Young OffendersJuvenile Offenders (United Kingdom) |
Author: Cahn, Katherine Title: Stronger Youth and Smarter Communitieis: An Analysis of Oregon's Investment in Runaway and Homeless Youth Programs Summary: The Oregon Runaway and Homeless Workgroup estimates that 24,000 unaccompanied youth experience homelessness each year in Oregon. Oregon is home to innovative runaway and homeless youth services, but these rely heavily on federal funds and are available primarily in the I-5 corridor. Youth in rural areas, or smaller towns unable to access federal funds, are at risk. To address this problem, the 2007 Oregon State Legislature apppropriated $1 million to the 2007-2009 budget of the Oregon Commission on Children and Familiies to enhance, expand, or develop services and supports for previously un-served runaway and/or homeless youth. The funding allocated enabled the Commission on Children and Families to "roll out" services in 8 counties. This report provides an evaluation on some of the short-term and outcomes of this investment. Details: Portland, OR: Center for Improvement of Child and Family Services, Portland State University, 2009. 59p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 24, 2016 at: http://commons.pacificu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1014&context=casfac Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: Shelf Number: 118820 Keywords: Homeless ChildrenHomelessnessRunaways (Oregon) |
Author: Benoit-Bryan, Jennifer Title: National Runaway Switchboard Crisis Caller Trends: An Analysis of Trends in Crisis Calls to the National Runaway Switchboard's 1-800-RUNAWAY Crisis Hotline for the Period 2000-2009 Summary: This analysis found that the number of throwaways calling the National Runaway Switchboard crisis line has increased by 21 percent over the past year, 48 percent over the past three years, and 68 percent between 2000-2009. There are a number of indicators from the trend analysis that point to the economic downturn as negatively affecting runaway and homeless youth. Details: Chicago: National Runaway Switchboard, 2010. 20p. Source: Internet Resource Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: Shelf Number: 119177 Keywords: HomelessnessRunaways |
Author: Smeaton, Emilie Title: Off the Radar: Children and Young People on the Streets in the UK Summary: ‘Off the Radar’ is a comprehensive qualitative research study and looks in detail at the lives, situations and experiences of more than one hundred of the most detached children and young people in the UK. The report is organised under the following headings: family and home; violence; the role of the streets; experiences of agencies; and behaviors, identities and states of being. Details: Sandbach, Cheshire, UK: Railway Children, 2010. 122p. Source: Internet Resource Year: 2010 Country: United Kingdom URL: Shelf Number: 119284 Keywords: HomelessnessRunawaysStreet Children |
Author: Pergamit, Michael R. Title: On the Lifetime Prevalence of Running Away from Home Summary: Nearly one in five U.S. youths will run away from home before age 18. Almost 30 percent of these youth will do so three or more times, greatly increasing their risk of violence, crime, drugs, prostitution, STDs, and many other problems. Employing new methodology to yield estimates not available elsewhere, this paper follows a nationally representative sample of 12-year olds through their 18th birthday to discover how many youth run away from home, the number of times they ran away, and the age they first run away. Female and black youth are found to run away the most often. Details: Washington, DC: Urban Institute, 2010. 16p. Source: Internet Resource Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: Shelf Number: 118703 Keywords: HomelessnessRunaways |
Author: Roebuck, Ben Title: Homelessness, Victimization and Crime: Knowledge and Actionable Recommendations Summary: "This report examines how victimization contributes to homelessness and how subsequent victimization may result from living on the streets. It reviews the types of crimes committed by homeless people, and why homeless people are incarcerated. It also identifies factors through which incarceration raises the risk of homelessness for vulnerable populations." Details: Ottawa: Institute for the Prevention of Crime, 2008. 37p. Source: Internet Resource; Accessed August 8, 2010 at: http://www.socialsciences.uottawa.ca/ipc/pdf/IPC-Homelessness%20report.pdf Year: 2008 Country: United States URL: http://www.socialsciences.uottawa.ca/ipc/pdf/IPC-Homelessness%20report.pdf Shelf Number: 113258 Keywords: HomelessnessVictimizationVictims of Crime |
Author: Geller, Amanda Title: A Sort of Homecoming: Incarceration and Housing Security of Urban Men Summary: "While individuals returning from prison face many barriers to successful re-entry, among the most serious are the challenges they face in securing housing. Housing has long been recognized as a prerequisite for stable employment, access to social services, and other aspects of individual and family functioning. The formerly incarcerated face several administrative and de facto restrictions on their housing options; however, little is known about the unique instabilities that they face. We use a longitudinal survey of urban families to examine housing insecurity among nearly 3,000 urban men, including over 1,000 with incarceration histories. We find that men recently incarcerated face greater housing insecurity, including both serious hardships such as homelessness, and precursors to homelessness such as residential turnover and relying on others for housing expenses. Their increased risk is tied both to diminished annual earnings and other factors, including, potentially, evictions from public housing supported by Federal one-strike policies." Details: Princeton, NJ: Fragile Families, 2010. 40p. Source: Internet Resource; Accessed August 16, 2010 at: http://crcw.princeton.edu/workingpapers/WP10-06-FF.pdf; Fragile Families Working Paper: WP10-06-FF Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://crcw.princeton.edu/workingpapers/WP10-06-FF.pdf; Fragile Families Working Paper: WP10-06-FF Shelf Number: 118787 Keywords: HomelessnessHousing, Ex-OffendersReentrySocial Exclusion |
Author: Fontaine, Jocelyn Title: System Change Accomplishments of the Corporation for Supportive Housing's Returning Home Initiative Summary: In 2006, the Corporation for Supportive Housing launched its Returning Home Initiative (RHI) with two goals: 1) to establish permanent supportive housing as an essential reentry component for formerly incarcerated persons with histories of homelessness, mental illness, and chronic health conditions; and 2) to promote local and national policy changes to integrate the corrections, housing, mental health, and human service systems. The Urban Institute assessed the process of system change stimulated by the RHI activities in three communities that received significant RHI investment and other jurisdictions. In addition, the report identifies challenges and lessons learned from the RHI to date. Details: Washington, DC: Urban Institute, Justice Policy Center, 2010. 20p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 19, 2010 at: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/412157-returning-home-initiative.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/412157-returning-home-initiative.pdf Shelf Number: 119632 Keywords: HomelessnessHousing, Ex-OffendersReentry |
Author: Barnaby, Lorraine Title: Drugs, Homelessness & Health: Homeless Youth Speak Out about Abuse Harm Reduction Summary: The purpose of the report is to present the results of a harm reduction needs assessment survey among the most at-risk homeless youth in Toronto, identify barriers to appropriate health services, and based on the youth’s voices, make recommendations, and advocate for better programs to serve this vulnerable population. The study was designed with three components. First we surveyed 100 poly-substance using homeless youth screened for recent (past 6 month) histories of crack (n=71), methamphetamine (n=51), non-prescribed opioid (n=53) and/or injection drug use (n=33). Then, based on the survey results, we conducted five focus groups with 27 street-involved youth to discuss their reactions to the survey findings; these groups provided many quotes on various topics. As well, four young people took part in an arts-involved segment, creating pictures of street life used to illustrate this report. The survey sample of 100 street-involved youth consisted of 75 young men, 21 young women and 4 transgendered/transsexual individuals aged 16 to 25, the majority of whom were in the older age range. Nine out of ten were Canadian born and nearly 2/3 identified their ethno-racial background as White/Caucasian. Details: Toronto: Wellesley Institute, 2010. 103p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 21, 2010 at: http://www.wellesleyinstitute.com/category/research/ Year: 2010 Country: Canada URL: http://www.wellesleyinstitute.com/category/research/ Shelf Number: 119851 Keywords: Drug OffendersDrugsHarm ReductionHomelessnessMental HealthStreet Youth |
Author: McDonald, Douglas Title: The Effectiveness of Prisoner Reentry Services as Crime-Control: The Fortune Society Summary: The Fortune Society, located in New York City, provides various services on a voluntary basis to offenders who have been incarcerated previously, at an average cost (in 2005) of about $3,265 per client. This study examines the extent to which receipt of these services reduces recidivism and homelessness following release. Recidivism is measured by an arrest leading to conviction; homelessness is indicated by a request to the NYC Department of Homeless Services for shelter. Fortune clients released to NYC from state prisons or from NYC jails during 2000-2005 are examined and their outcomes are compared to outcomes observed for state prisoners or local jail inmates released during same period but who did not go to Fortune. Multivariate survival analyses and propensity score analyses are used to estimate program effects on recidivism. No evidence of positive effects on recidivism is found. Indeed, Fortune clients were more likely to recidivate than non-clients, even after controlling for several measured differences among them. This should not be interpreted as showing that Fortune has negative effects on clients but instead that all differences associated with risk were not measured for lack of sufficient information. Fortune clients typically have long criminal records, little education, no legitimate employment, few employable skills, and are dependent upon others for housing. Their participation rates in Fortune’s services were generally low: one in four dropped out, and fewer than half completed the course of services. Half participated in no more than nine group sessions, whereas the most active 25% received 36 or more group sessions. Given clients’ generally dire circumstances, such low participation rates make it unlikely that positive program effects are achievable for the client population as a whole. Released prisoners are at high risk of homelessness. Using multivariate survival analysis techniques to account for the effects of measured differences among clients and non-clients, we estimate that participation in Fortune’s services has a positive effect on released jail prisoners’ ability to avoid homelessness throughout the years following release. No similar effect was found for released state prisoners, however. One possible explanation of this is that returning state prisoners have more access to services than returning city jail prisoners (90% of state prisoners leave under parole supervision), with the result that Fortune’s contribution of services is relatively greater for city prisoners, and possibly more effective for them. This hypothesis was not tested for lack of information about services to non-clients. Details: Cambridge, MA: Abt Associates, 2008. 100p. Source: Internet Resource: Accesssed September 22, 2010 at: http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/225369.pdf Year: 2008 Country: United States URL: http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/225369.pdf Shelf Number: 113422 Keywords: HomelessnessRecidivismReentryVoluntary and Community Organizations |
Author: Flaming, Daniel Title: Where We Sleep: Costs When Homeless and Housed in Los Angeles Summary: The central question investigated in this study is the public costs for people in supportive housing compared to similar people that are homeless. The typical public cost for residents in supportive housing is $605 a month. The typical public cost for similar homeless persons is $2,897, five-times greater than their counterparts. This finding demonstrates that practical, tangible public benefits result from providing supportive housing for vulnerable homeless individuals. The stabilizing effect of housing plus supportive care is demonstrated by a 79 percent reduction in public costs for these residents. The study encompasses 10,193 homeless individuals in Los Angeles County, 9,186 who experienced homelessness while receiving General Relief public assistance and 1,007 who exited homeless by entering supportive housing. Two different methods were used to independently verify changes in public costs when individuals are housed compared to months when they are homeless. There are six bottom line findings. 1. Public costs go down when individuals are no longer homeless. 2. Public costs for homeless individuals vary widely depending on their attributes. Young single adults 18 to 29 years of age with no jail history, no substance abuse problems or mental illness, who are not disabled cost an aver¬age of $406 a month. Older single adults 46 or more years of age with co-occurrent substance abuse and mental illness, and no recent employment history cost an average of $5,038 a month. A range of solutions is required that match the needs of different groups in the homeless population. 3. Public costs increase as homeless individuals grow older. There is a strong case for intervening early rather than deferring substantive help until problems become acute. 4. Most savings in public costs come from reductions in health care outlays – 69 percent of the savings for supportive housing residents are in reduced costs for hospitals, emergency rooms, clinics, mental health, and public health. 5. Higher levels of service for high-need individuals result in higher cost savings, as shown by the much higher savings from supportive housing compared to temporary housing, and by the higher saving for supportive housing residents in service-rich environments. 6. One of the challenges in addressing homelessness is housing retention – keeping individuals who may well be socially isolated, mentally ill and addicted from abandoning housing that has been provided for them. Details: Los Angeles: Economic Reoundtable, 2009. 129p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 25, 2010 at: http://www.bringlahome.org/docs/Where_We_Sleep.pdf Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: http://www.bringlahome.org/docs/Where_We_Sleep.pdf Shelf Number: 120064 Keywords: HomelessnessHousing |
Author: Blasi, Gary Title: Has the Safer Cities Initiative in Skid Row Reduced Serious Crime? Summary: The “Safer Cities Initiative” launched in Los Angeles’ Skid Row in September, 2006, represents one of the most intense concentrations of police resources anywhere, anytime. Although the initiative evolved from earlier plans targeting the homeless population in Skid Row, at its launch and thereafter the Safer Cities Initiative (“SCI”) was publicized as a highly successful crime reduction effort, one relying on the “broken windows” thesis. According to this theory, a crackdown on less serious violations (as in the 1,000 citations per month being written in Skid Row for littering, crosswalk violations, etc.) will lead to a reduction in more serious crime. And, indeed, crime has fallen in Skid Row. An earlier report documented the history and results of the Initiative, but raised questions about whether the observed reduction in crime was in fact the result of the SCI. Only limited data were considered, however, In order to address this question more fully, we obtained the crime report data for every serious or violent crime reported to LAPD as having occurred in LAPD’s Central Area (which includes Skid Row), between January 1, 2005 and May 21, 2008. In order to simplify statistical analysis and avoid the effects of seasonal variations in crime, we examined in detail the data regarding crimes in the year prior to the launch of SCI (September 26, 2006) and the year after. We compared the data on crimes occurring in Skid Row with those occurring in the remainder of Central Area. We found that, as to overall serious or violent crime, the reduction in crime in the SCI deployment area was not statistically significant from the reduction in the non-SCI area. When we analyzed the data for each category of crime, we found only one area of significant difference: the reduction in robberies was slightly lower in Skid Row. The size of the effect, however, was not impressive: a reduction of about 1 robbery per year for each of the 50 officers assigned to the SCI. Reducing the number of robberies by any number is a positive development. However, given that that Central Area as a whole accounts for less than 5% of the robberies in the City, and that even before SCI, Skid Row accounted for only a fraction of the robberies in Central Area, we question whether the costs of this extended deployment of officers in a 50 square block area justify the results. Details: Los Angeles, CA: University of California - Los Angeles, School of Law, 2008. 11p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 25, 2010 at: http://cdn.law.ucla.edu/SiteCollectionDocuments/missing%20files/did_safer_cities_reduce_crime_in_skid_row.pdf Year: 2008 Country: United States URL: http://cdn.law.ucla.edu/SiteCollectionDocuments/missing%20files/did_safer_cities_reduce_crime_in_skid_row.pdf Shelf Number: 120069 Keywords: CrackdownsCrime PreventionHomelessnessPolicingRobberiesViolent Crime |
Author: Markman, Joshua A. Title: Evaluation of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction and Corporation for Supportive Housing's Pilot Program: Interim Re-Arrest Analysis Summary: In March 2007, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC) and the Corporation for Supportive Housing Ohio Office (CSH) developed a permanent supportive housing pilot program. The pilot was designed to house approximately 100 individuals returning from select prisons throughout Ohio to the Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, and Toledo communities. The 13 institutions participating in the pilot included the Allen, Chillicothe, Grafton, Hocking, London, Lorain, Madison, Marion, Pickaway, and Trumbull Correctional Institutions; the Ohio Reformatory for Women; and the Franklin and Northeastern Prerelease Centers. The pilot, funded primarily by the ODRC, but also a part of CSH’s Returning Home Initiative, has three main goals: to reduce recidivism; to reduce homelessness; and to decrease the costs associated with multiple service use across the criminal justice, housing/homelessness, and mental health service systems. The Urban Institute (UI) is evaluating the pilot to assess the impact on recidivism and residential stability and to test whether the benefits associated with the pilot outweigh its costs. The final report will be complete in summer 2012. In this paper, we report the results of an interim analysis of re-arrest for both the treatment and comparison groups, including descriptive statistics on the study sample. Details: Washington DC: Urban Institute, 2010. 12p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 26, 2010 at: http://www.urban.org/uploadedpdf/412224-interim-recidivism-analysis.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://www.urban.org/uploadedpdf/412224-interim-recidivism-analysis.pdf Shelf Number: 120093 Keywords: HomelessnessHousingMental Health ServicesRecidivismReentry |
Author: Scottish Government. Communities Analytical Services Title: Domestic Abuse, Housing and Homelessness in Scotland: An Evidence Review Summary: There has been little research on the relationship between domestic abuse, housing and homelessness, especially in the Scottish context. This review provides some secondary analysis of relevant homelessness and housing statistics to provide a more in-depth overview of the scale of domestic abuse as a contributory factor to homelessness in Scotland. Details: Edinburgh: Scottish Government, 2010. 33p. Source: Internet Resource: Analytical Paper Series: Accessed November 2, 2010 at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/328505/0106198.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/328505/0106198.pdf Shelf Number: 120155 Keywords: Abused WivesDomestic ViolenceHomelessnessHousing |
Author: Boyer, Debra Title: Ethnographic Assessment of Homeless Street Populations Summary: The category “chronic homelessness” emerges from a pattern of social inequities and individual problems that are situated within convergent domains of homelessness and street-based lifestyles and activities. Defining “chronic homelessness” as a stand-alone category has proven useful from a policy perspective, but they are a subset of the street population and occupy one point on a continuum of homelessness. Observable street populations extend beyond the chronic homeless population, and face challenges to their livelihood presented by poverty and a lack of affordable housing. It has been shown that significant numbers of people who are housed continue to use homeless- targeted services. The National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients (NSHAPC) completed in the mid-1990’s included data collected from homeless programs in 76 metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas. Analysis of the sample indicated that among those interviewed, 54 percent were homeless. Twenty-two percent were not currently homeless, but had been in the past. The remaining 24 percent were not currently homeless, but used services that were provided for the homeless. These data speak to the fluidity of the sheltered/unsheltered boundary and call for understanding the needs and characteristics of more broadly defined street populations. · What other groups comprise the observable street population? · Are they homeless? · What factors contribute to homelessness across chronic street populations? Service providers, police officers, and individuals experiencing homelessness concur that a majority of the visible street population are homeless. That they are homeless is not the end of the story; the visible reality of the street homeless population as a whole requires a clearer differentiation of its subgroups for broader policy application. Perceived homeless street populations can be differentiated along several dimensions including: stages of homelessness, street activity, criminal activity, drug use, mental illness, survival skills, vulnerability to victimization, and subculture association. Subgroups and stand-alone categories of homelessness have other characteristics and attributes that generate questions regarding the anticipated impact of policy initiatives directed toward visible street populations. These questions include: · Is homelessness the most significant group characteristic? · Will housing modify street based activity? · Where are groups located on a homeless continuum? · What service parameters are relevant for each subgroup? · What types of housing and supportive services are appropriate? · What are specific system coordination needs for subgroups? The primary focus of this assessment is the broader street population. The differences between subsets of street-based and homeless groups are discussed within the context of the chronic homeless initiative, the potential impact on visible street populations, and implications for policy and practice. Details: Seattle, WA: United Way of King County, 2008. 48p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 7, 2011 at: http://www.uwkc.org/assets/files/research-and-reports/ethnographic-assessment-of.pdf Year: 2008 Country: United States URL: http://www.uwkc.org/assets/files/research-and-reports/ethnographic-assessment-of.pdf Shelf Number: 120698 Keywords: DrunkennessHomelessnessMentally Ill |
Author: Ayres, Susan Title: Bail Refusal and Homelessness Affecting Remandees in New South Wales Summary: This study investigates homelessness among New South Wales defendants who were refused bail. Specific objectives of the study were to: 1) identify the number and proportion of defendants refused bail where homelessness was a factor; 2) identify factors related to bail refusal decision; 3) compare the characteristics of homeless and non-homeless defendants who were refused bail, and 4) explore the bail decision making process, particularly in reference to homelessness. Details: Sydney: Corporate Research Evaluation & Statistics, Corrective Services NSW, 2010. 48p. Source: Internet Resource: Research Publication No. 50: Accessed February 7, 2011 at: https://correctiveservices.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/236971/rp50-bail-refusal-homelessness-affecting-remandees-nsw.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Australia URL: https://correctiveservices.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/236971/rp50-bail-refusal-homelessness-affecting-remandees-nsw.pdf Shelf Number: 120707 Keywords: Bail (New South Wales)DefendantsHomelessness |
Author: Vancouver Police Department Title: Project Lockstep: A United Effort To Save Lines In the Downtown Eastside Summary: People residing in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside (DTES) are negatively affected by mental health illues, illicit and licit substance abuse, drug trafficking, alcoholism, physical health issues like HIV and Hepatitis C infestions, substandard and insufficient housing, illegitimate businesses, crime and public disorder, an entrenched survival sex trade, and a historical reduction in police presence. These problems, crime and public disorder in particular, harm surrounding Vancouver neighbourhoods, the metro region, and the Province of BC. This report calls for immediate action to improves the lives of those most in need in the DTES. Details: Vancouver, BC: Vancouver Police Department, 2009. 59p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 8, 2011 at: http://vancouver.ca/police/assets/pdf/reports-policies/vpd-project-lockstep.pdf Year: 2009 Country: Canada URL: http://vancouver.ca/police/assets/pdf/reports-policies/vpd-project-lockstep.pdf Shelf Number: 120710 Keywords: Anti-Social BehaviorCommunitiesCrime and Public Disorder (Vancouver)HomelessnessProstitution |
Author: Peeples, Carol Title: Homelessness and Parole: A Survey of Denver's Shelters Summary: The interviews conducted for this survey offer insight into 48 individuals who were homeless and on parole in Denver, Colorado, during the winter of 2008-2009. Their stories and situations exemplify the complexity of the issue, but this is not to say that common threads did not surface. Indeed, it is these commonalities that form the basis for each of the eleven recommendations presented in this report. The average annual cost of incarcerating an inmate is over $30,000 per inmate,6 so changes in policies and practices that reduce recidivism can provide the state with an immediate opportunity for significant cost savings. In fiscal year 2008, 41% of the total admissions to Colorado’s prisons were people who had been revoked from parole and returned to prison. Of this group, 27% returned to prison for committing a new crime while on parole, but 73% (3,353 people) were returned to prison for a technical violation of their parole. It is not known whether people who leave prison homeless have a higher failure rate on parole, but it is known that people face enormous challenges, including finding housing, when they are released. Based on our own research and interviews with parolees, CCJRC believes that paroling or discharging from prison homeless is a barrier to successful re-entry and should be avoided to the greatest extent possible. Details: Denver, CO: Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition, 2009. 25p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 22, 2011 at: http://www.ccjrc.org/pdf/CCJRC_Homeless_Report.pdf Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: http://www.ccjrc.org/pdf/CCJRC_Homeless_Report.pdf Shelf Number: 120861 Keywords: HomelessnessParolees (Colorado)Reentry |
Author: Dillane, Jennifer Title: Evaluation of the Dundee Families Project: Final Report Summary: The Dundee Family Project was established with Urban Programme funding to assist families who are homeless or at severe risk of homelessness as a result of ‘antisocial behaviour’. Previous ways of tackling this problem were seen as expensive and ineffective. The Project is run by NCH Action for Children Scotland in partnership with Dundee Council Housing and Social Work Departments. The Project works with families deemed to have exhibited a range of anti-social behaviour, with the aim of enabling them to avoid eviction or be restored to satisfactory tenancy arrangements. This also helps to prevent the breakdown of vulnerable families, and to re-unite separated families. The Project follows a systemic approach to family difficulties and offers a range of services through individual and couple counselling, family support and group work. The service makes available support 24-hours a day all year. Staff run after-school and young persons’ group activities, while groups for adults have covered cookery, parenting skills, anger management and tenancy issues. Users access the service in 3 main ways: i. by residence in a ‘core block’ comprising accommodation for 3-4 families ii. in dispersed tenancies, iii. on an outreach basis. The staff currently consists of the following: Project Manager, 1 Depute, 7 Social Care Workers, 4 Relief Social Care Workers, 1 Administrative Assistant, and 1 Domestic. The Project established an admissions panel, which assesses referrals and reviews cases. The membership includes representatives from the Project, NCH and Dundee City Council Housing and Social Work. A Project Advisory Group was also set up to provide guidance and feedback from service users and local residents. This study of the Dundee Families Project was intended to evaluate the processes, outcomes and costs of the Project, using primarily qualitative methods. Data were gathered from case records, adult and child service users, Project staff, and key stakeholders. In addition, due to the initial controversial response by the media and local people, the views of residents in the immediate vicinity of the Project were also obtained. Finally, a partial cost benefit analysis of the Project was conducted. Details: Edinburgh: Scottish Stationary Office, 2001. 129p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 28, 2011 at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/158814/0043122.pdf Year: 2001 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/158814/0043122.pdf Shelf Number: 121148 Keywords: Antisocial Behavior (Scotland)Cost-Benefit AnalysisFamiliesHomelessnessHousing |
Author: Bennett, Darcie Title: Security Before Justice: A Study of the Impacts of Private Security on Homeless and Under-Housed Vancouver Residents Summary: Uniformed private security guards are an increasingly visible presence on Vancouver streets. Private security companies operate with nominal formal oversight and guards are often sent out on patrol after less than two weeks of training. People living and working in neighbourhoods patrolled by private guards are generally unclear about who security personnel report to or how to make a complaint against a guard. In spite of these issues, there has been little public debate about the growing role played by private security companies in policing public space. On December 13 2007, the City of Vancouver approved $872,000 to fund the expansion of the Downtown Ambassadors Program, a private security patrol project administered by the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association (DVBIA). Notwithstanding the influx of public money, the program will continue to be administered entirely by business improvement associations. With taxpayer dollars being allocated by way of an exclusive no-bid contract with a private company, to enhance private security patrols on public property, it is imperative that Vancouverites begin to ask questions about practice standards, oversight and accountability within the private security industry. In 2007, Pivot Legal Society recruited 154 people from the Downtown Eastside to complete a survey about their interactions with private security guards. Two focus groups were conducted to allow researchers the opportunity to ask follow-up questions based on the results of the survey. This study focuses on the experiences of those most on the margins of society, but it raises issues that should alarm anyone committed to democratic policing, accountable governance and respect for human rights. Through this research, Pivot identified a number of central issues: There is a high level of interaction between private security guards and residents of the Downtown Eastside. In response to the question, “In an average month, how often do you interact (have face to face contact) with private security guards?” a third of survey respondents reported having such contact four times or more per month. Many participants added comments like “every day” or “all the time” in the space provided. Twelve percent of respondents had face to face contact once per month. Homeless people and under-housed people have more frequent, and more problematic, interactions with security guards. Results from the survey suggest a direct relationship between individuals’ housing status and the frequency of their interactions with private security personnel. Private security guards routinely overstep the bounds of their authority on public property. This includes guards asking or otherwise compelling people to move along when they have no legal authority to do so. Private security guards are controlling access to space (on both public and mass private property) in ways that are not in keeping with principles of equality and fairness. This includes issuing informal bans from certain buildings, streets or neighbourhoods and the use of profiling, where people are treated differently depending upon their appearance. Profiling results in the continued harassment of homeless and visibly poor people, who are disproportionately Aboriginal and/or may suffer from a mental or physical disability including drug addiction. Private security guards use force illegally. Both survey respondents and focus group participants claimed that guards are using force and threats of violence against homeless and other marginalized people on a routine basis. There is little accountability when private security guards overstep their authority. People in the Downtown Eastside are not generally aware of their rights in relation to security guards, or how to complain about security guards’ actions. Only 39 of 154 survey respondents reported that they were aware of the process for making a complaint against a security guard. This study finds that negative impacts of the expansion of private security services are felt most profoundly by those living on the margins. The findings also show the need for rigorous monitoring and accountability mechanisms in order to ensure that policing bodies, whether public or private, carry out their work in a just, equitable, accountable and efficient manner rooted in respect for the rights and dignity of all people regardless of race, ancestry, socio-economic status, or mental and physical ability. Details: Vancouver, BC: Pivot Legal Socieyt, 2008. 38p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 28, 2011 at: http://www.pivotlegal.org/pdfs/securitybeforejustice.pdf Year: 2008 Country: Canada URL: http://www.pivotlegal.org/pdfs/securitybeforejustice.pdf Shelf Number: 121150 Keywords: HomelessnessPrivate Security GuardsPublic Space |
Author: National Coalition for the Homeless Title: Hate Crimes Against The Homeless: America’s Growing Tide of Violence Summary: Hate Crimes Against the Homeless: America’s Growing Tide of Violence is a shocking report on the growth of biased motivated crimes of hate against America’s homeless. The National Coalition for the Homeless’ report marks the beginning of its second decade tracking, interviewing and classifying thousands of individuals impacted by hate crimes against the homeless. This years’ report has the horrifying distinction of being the deadliest in a decade, at forty-three reported homicides. The research contained in this report chronicles more than a thousand separate attacks across the United States, representing a fraction of the total hate crimes that remain drastically underreported. Individuals who commit homeless hate crimes are motivated primarily by a bias that another individual is or may be homeless. Perpetrators often give account to feelings of hostility and animosity, towards the visibly homeless, so strong they demand action. While others describe a generalized hatred, passed down from one generation to the next, resulting in a growing wave of violence across America. Documented hate crimes in this report involve: dosing with gasoline and setting aflame; rape in exchange for shelter; spay painting and stomping upon while sleeping; and, repeated incidence of gang initiations involving stabbings and beatings. Un-housed individuals, as a target of hate, have consistently grown over the past decade. This year’s report draws an especially gruesome and disturbing trend in the frequency and manner of the offenses. Violent, often fatal, attacks on homeless Americans now outnumber all other categories of hate crimes combined. Details: Washington, DC: National Coalition for the Homeless, 2010. 87p. Source: Internet Resource: accessed April 18, 2011 at: http://www.housingworks.org/i/blog/NCH_Hate_Crimes_Against_the_Homeless_Report_2010.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://www.housingworks.org/i/blog/NCH_Hate_Crimes_Against_the_Homeless_Report_2010.pdf Shelf Number: 121374 Keywords: Bias-Motivated CrimesHate CrimesHomelessnessViolent Crime |
Author: ECOTEC Research & Consulting Title: A Report on the Young Runaways Situation in London: for the Government Office for London Summary: The aim of this research is to provide Government of London and other stakeholders with an up to date picture of the situation for young runaways in London. This approach was informed by a review of relevant research and qualitative interviews with key stakeholders, including strategic bodies, local authorities, police, third sector organisations, and organisations representing young people. This is particularly important piece of research given the high risks to children and young people who run away. Not only the risks to the young people whilst running away such as: sleeping rough or in unsafe places; sexual exploitation; physical or sexual assault; and/or criminal behaviour. But also the long term problems such as increased likelihood of substance misuse, mental health problems, teenage pregnancy, longer-term involvement in crime, as well as increased detachment from school and homelessness. Details: London: ECOTEC, 2010. 55p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 4, 2011 at: http://www.londonscb.gov.uk/files/2010/resources/runaways/london_young_runaways_report.doc Year: 2010 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.londonscb.gov.uk/files/2010/resources/runaways/london_young_runaways_report.doc Shelf Number: 121614 Keywords: HomelessnessMissing ChildrenRunaways (London) |
Author: Great Britain. Ministry of Justice Title: Options for Dealing with Squatting Summary: Squatting is a form of trespass. It usually involves the deliberate entry and occupation of a building without the consent of the owner or the occupier of that property. At present there is very little information held centrally about the number of people who squat, their reasons for doing so or the types of buildings that tend to attract squatters, but the level of public concern about this issue has led the Government to believe this may be a growing problem in residential and non-residential property. Although trespass is not in itself a criminal offence (it would normally be regarded as a civil wrong) there are already a range of offences in place to deal with the criminal activities of squatters. Owners and occupiers of property can also pursue civil procedures to get them evicted. The Government recently published new guidance on the Direct-Gov and Department for Communities and Local Government websites for people seeking to evict squatters from their properties, but it recognises that more may need to be done to reassure the public that the law is on their side. The purpose of this consultation is therefore twofold: to gather more information about the nature and extent of squatting in England and Wales; and to invite views on whether, and how, existing criminal and civil mechanisms should be strengthened to deal with it. Criminalising squatting is one option that the Government is considering, but depending on the views of consultees there may be other options that could be explored. For example, the Government could consider whether existing offences and civil mechanisms relating to squatting could be strengthened or whether the problems caused by squatters would diminish if existing offences, such as criminal damage and burglary, were rigorously enforced. The extent of the problem caused by squatters is discussed in more detail in chapter 1. The existing law is summarised in chapter 2; possible options for dealing with squatters are set out in chapter 3; and the potential impact of these options on the enforcement authorities and other organisations is discussed in chapter 4. The consultation focuses on squatters who occupy buildings and their immediate surroundings. It does not concern unauthorised encampments on open land which raise different questions of law and practice and are already subject to legislation – in particular, sections 61-62E of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. The consultation is aimed at anyone who might be affected by these proposals; anyone who has been the victim of squatting; and anyone who has experience (positive or negative) of using the current law or procedures to get squatters evicted. The views of the law enforcement agencies, local authorities, housing associations, homeless charities or other organisations which might be affected by these proposals would also be particularly welcome. Details: London: Home Office, 2011. 38p. Source: Internet Resource: Consultation Paper CP 12/2011: Accessed July 18, 2011 at: http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/consultations/options-dealing-with-squatting.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/consultations/options-dealing-with-squatting.pdf Shelf Number: 122081 Keywords: HomelessnessSquatting (U.K.)Trespassing |
Author: Stapleton, John Title: Making Toronto Safer A Cost-Benefit Analysis of Transitional Housing Supports for Men Leaving Incarceration Summary: In early 2010, the John Howard Society of Toronto commissioned a cost benefit study and analysis of Transitional Housing and supports (THS) for two types of ex-prisoners moving to the community from incarceration. The first group is comprised of homeless ex-prisoners (individuals often charged with petty theft, drug possession, public disturbances and who have no fixed address upon their release from custody. They have partially served their sentence in jail and will serve the remainder of it in the community, under supervision). The latter group is comprised of s810 sexual offenders (Section 810 peace bonds are court orders that enable the police to protect the public by requiring an individual who poses a threat to society to abide by specific conditions for up to one year and can be renewed). This proposition was to calculate the cost savings (if any) associated with the intervention of transitional housing and supports as opposed to their absence. The cost benefit study framed the intervention of THS as a public good and a service to the community as well as the ex-prisoner and assessed the benefit with all public stakeholders in mind. The latest available data was used to conduct the study. John Stapleton (Principal of Open Policy Ontario) in partnerships with Brendon Pooran and Rene Doucet (Chronicle Analytics) completed the study in November 2010. The next step is to file a funding application to the City of Toronto and to explore funding opportunities generally (with a focus on the provincial government) to expand THS. If John Howard Toronto expands the support services and access to housing for those who have been released from correctional facilities, it believes that the recidivism rate (re-offending rate) will decline. Lower recidivism is accepted as an important indicator of community safety. Details: Toronto: John Howard Society of Toronto, 2011. 35p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 18, 2011 at: http://www.johnhowardtor.on.ca/pdfs/FINAL%20MAY%2031%20JohnHowardcomplete.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Canada URL: http://www.johnhowardtor.on.ca/pdfs/FINAL%20MAY%2031%20JohnHowardcomplete.pdf Shelf Number: 122088 Keywords: Cost-Benefit AnalysisHomelessnessHousingRecidivismReentry (Canada) |
Author: John Howard Society of Toronto Title: Homeless and Jailed: Jailed and Homeless Summary: Previous research has established that being homeless increases the likelihood of ending up in jail, while imprisonment increases the risk of homelessness and the length of time that homeless people spend in shelters. The number of homeless prisoners in Toronto area jails is increasing. And a small, but growing, number of men are caught in a revolving door between jails and shelters. This report explores the housing situation of adult men serving sentences in Toronto area jails, focusing on those who are homeless. These prisoners‘ housing plans on discharge, as well as their immediate and anticipated service needs in the months after release, are documented. Their residential locations are mapped in relation to selected neighbourhood characteristics. The survey results are based on interviews with 363 sentenced prisoners who have spent a minimum of five consecutive nights in custody and who are within days of scheduled release from one of four provincial correctional facilities in the Greater Toronto Area. Among this group, 22.9 percent, or roughly one of every five prisoners, was homeless when incarcerated, that is they were staying in a shelter, living on the street (in places considered unfit for human habitation), in a treatment facility, or staying at the home of a friend, paying no rent. The latter situation is a common form of hidden homelessness; if persons in that situation are excluded, in line with a more conservative definition of homelessness, a total of 19.3 percent were homeless. The average stay in custody was a little more than two months. Within days of discharge, the prisoners‘ housing plans indicate that their overall projected rate of homelessness would increase by 40 percent. Half of them plan to return to their pre-custody housing situation, even if it meant staying in a shelter, on the street, or using a friend‘s couch. Of those who were homeless before being incarcerated, the majority, 85.5 percent, anticipate being homeless again on discharge. Among prisoners who were housed before being incarcerated, 16.4 percent anticipate being homeless upon discharge. Thirteen percent of the survey respondents were homeless both before and after being incarcerated. Overall, 32.2 percent, or almost one of every three prisoners had plans upon discharge to go a shelter, live on the street, or couch-surf at the home of a friend. Another 12 percent of these prisoners are at risk of being homeless since they do not know where they will go. If these two groups are combined, a total of 44.6 percent are homeless or at risk of homelessness. This is a large, identifiable stream of people who should be targeted for assistance to reduce chronic homelessness. Analysts have pointed out repeatedly that relative to other homeless sub-groups, those who are chronically homeless have the greatest need for appropriate housing and services, an investment that would provide the largest social returns (Trypuc and Robinson 2009). Homeless prisoners are a vulnerable group – they tend to be older, 22.3 percent are 50 years of age or older. A high proportion of them, 43.3 percent, have severe health impairments. Most of them rely on income support programs, whose benefits they lose while in jail; in many cases, they must re-apply for these benefits after they are discharged. Homeless prisoners requested more types of service to deal with community re-entry than housed prisoners. Yet, almost all the prisoners (95 percent) said they needed various kinds of support. Overall, the survey respondents were only slightly more likely than the general population to have been living in low-income neighbourhoods that lack adequate services for the needs of residents. Homeless prisoners were most likely to have been living in downtown and City-designated priority neighbourhoods. Details: Toronto: John Howard Society of Toronto, 2010. 42p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 19, 2011 at: http://media.thestar.topscms.com/acrobat/ef/6e/a2fdc45d452d8cc6e23535371b07.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Canada URL: http://media.thestar.topscms.com/acrobat/ef/6e/a2fdc45d452d8cc6e23535371b07.pdf Shelf Number: 122110 Keywords: Homeless Persons (Toronto)HomelessnessHousingInmatesJailsPrisoners |
Author: Consortium for Street Children Title: STREET CHILDREN: A Mapping & Gapping Review of the Literature 2000 to 2010 Consortium for Street Children Summary: This paper presents a unique Literature Review of international research studies about street children published during the decade from 2000 to 2010. Studies have been collected and mapped into 12 thematic sections, drawing on more than 400 papers, chapters and books published around the world in the English language. Studies consulted were primarily academic, supplemented with key texts from the development literature on street children. Gaps between and within thematic sections have been identified and analyzed. The paper‘s dual purpose is: To improve understanding of street children by identifying recent advances in an academic scholarship which began in the 1970s To identify priority areas for academic research on street children, in order to build a stronger strategic base for the development of advocacy, policy and programme design initiatives. This Review divides into 4 Parts and a total of 12 sections, which reflect the most interesting advances in the academic research over the last 10 years as follows: 1. Street Children - Old Myths and New Realities: exploring their Numbers, Definitions, Characteristics and Voices from the Streets 2. Street Children – The Wider ‘Everyday’ Picture: exploring their Relationships, Migration and Mobility, Experiences on the Streets and Ageing into Youth 3. Policies and Interventions – as designed for or experienced by street children 4. The Policy Context – exploring Laws & Enforcement, plus Economics, Budgets & Funding. Details: London: Consortium for Street Children, 2011. 75p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 29, 2011 at: http://www.streetchildren.org.uk/_uploads/publications/Street_Children_Mapping__Gapping_Literature_Review_-_FINAL_VERSION_-_February_2011.pdf Year: 2011 Country: International URL: http://www.streetchildren.org.uk/_uploads/publications/Street_Children_Mapping__Gapping_Literature_Review_-_FINAL_VERSION_-_February_2011.pdf Shelf Number: 122231 Keywords: Homeless ChildrenHomelessnessPovertyStreet Children |
Author: Reeve, Kesia Title: Squatting: A Homelessness Issue. An Evidence Review Summary: This report synthesises research commissioned by Crisis and other organisations about the nature and extent of squatting. It was commissioned to inform debate about squatting, particularly in the context of current Government proposals to criminalise squatting. The key conclusions, and recommendations which flow from them, are as follows: Squatting is a common response to homelessness, with evidence suggesting that 40 per cent of single homeless people squat (6 per cent on any one night). Most homeless people who squat try other avenues for resolving their housing problems before turning to squatting. They approach local hostels and shelters but find there are no spaces in the hostels, or they are not eligible, and that the assistance provided does not help them resolve their housing problem. The majority of those who approach a local authority are recognised as homeless. However, most are not entitled to housing because they are not recognised as being in priority need or are deemed intentionally homeless. Many squat as a last resort, when the only alternative is rough sleeping. The evidence suggests that the majority of squatters were sleeping rough immediately prior to squatting. Squatting, then, typically reflects a lack of other options, a scarcity of provision, and inadequate support and assistance to single homeless people. Many squatters have significant welfare needs including mental and physical health issues and other vulnerabilities. The evidence shows consistently that homeless people who squat have higher levels of needs than those who do not. The most recent study, for example, found that 34 per cent of homeless people who squat had been in care, 42 per cent had physical ill health or a disability; and 41 per cent reported mental ill health (compared with 19 per cent, 27 per cent, and 32 per cent respectively of homeless people who had not squatted) Homeless people who squat occupy empty, usually disused or abandoned property, not other people’s homes. Strengthening laws or enforcement activity against squatters in occupied buildings is likely to have minimal impact on levels of squatting but significant impact on squatters themselves. Squatting, then, is a homelessness and welfare issue, not a criminal justice issue. There is a need to acknowledge squatting as a manifestation of housing need and as a product of inadequate and insufficient support for single homeless people. Squatting needs to be debated within this context. Criminalising squatting will criminalise a vulnerable homelessness population and is likely to increase the number of rough sleepers. Instead, government and service providers should consider the following: Summary of findings and recommendations 1. Do not introduce further squatting related criminal offences. Squatting is not a criminal justice issue but a housing and welfare one and any change to the existing law risks harming an already very vulnerable population. 2. Improve the evidence base so fully informed debate can take place and appropriate interventions developed. At present, no national data are available and studies tend to be small scale. 3. Raise awareness and dispel some of the myths about squatters. Squatting needs to be recognised as a homelessness issue. 4. Provide support and outreach services targeted at squatters. Many want and require assistance but, for various reasons, are disengaged from support services. 5. Protect homelessness services from cuts, and increase homelessness provision. Many people squat because they have no other options. Squatting is likely to escalate if homelessness services are cut. 6. Ensure all local authorities provide effective ‘advice and assistance’ when single homeless people approach a local authority. Many homeless people who squat approach a local authority first but the assistance they receive does not help them resolve their housing problems. Details: London: Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research, Sheffield Hallam University, and Crisis, 2011. 24p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 28, 2011 at: http://www.crisis.org.uk/data/files/publications/Crisis_SquattingReport_SEPT2011.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.crisis.org.uk/data/files/publications/Crisis_SquattingReport_SEPT2011.pdf Shelf Number: 123163 Keywords: Homeless PersonsHomelessnessPovertySquatting (U.K.) |
Author: Institute for Children and Poverty Title: Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence among Poor Children Experiencing Homelessness or Residential Instability Summary: Over the past several decades, the public health crisis of intimate partner violence (IPV) has received increased attention. Victims of intimate partner violence report various patterns of abuse at the hands of their partners including, though not limited to, physical and sexual assault. Between 2001 and 2005, 38% of intimate partner violence in the United States was experienced by mothers with children under the age of twelve. Furthermore, it is estimated that over three million children are at risk of exposure to intimate partner violence each year, with such risk greatest for children under the age of six. Witnessing this violence adversely shapes a child’s social-emotional development, with evidence of increased externalizing and internalizing behavior problems compared to those who do not witness family violence. In addition, children who are exposed to intimate partner violence are less likely to succeed in school than children who are not exposed. Research suggests that stressful life events, such as intimate partner violence, and structural factors, including poverty and residential instability, greatly increase a family’s risk for homelessness. Although intimate partner violence affects families across all socio-economic groups, living in poverty greatly increases the risk. Moreover, there is a bi-directional relationship between intimate partner violence and poverty: poverty can decrease one’s resources, both economic and social, that are likely to increase the probability of escaping the abuse. On the other hand, the violence itself can decrease the likelihood of the victim being lifted out of poverty. Not only does living in poverty place families at greater risk for homelessness and residential instability, the co-occurrence of these factors increases the likelihood of experiencing intimate partner violence. One of the most important goals for families experiencing intimate partner violence is safety, so as the abuse escalates, many mothers and children make the difficult decision to leave their homes. Impoverished families escaping abuse, however, frequently have limited choices with regard to housing; these options include short-term solutions such as doubling-up with family or friends or entering the shelter system. Studies estimate that half of all homeless mothers experience intimate partner violence and over one-quarter of women in shelter cite domestic violence as the cause of their homelessness. Young children in these families not only witness the abuse of their mothers but also experience instability, by being displaced from their homes, schools, and, possibly, their fathers. Additionally, these children are at an increased risk of having been abused themselves. Once families are forced to make the decision to leave their homes because of intimate partner violence, they leave behind not only their belongings and familiar surroundings, but also their social support networks. Mothers who are victims of intimate partner violence and live in shelter are prone to greater social isolation than is found among low-income, housed victims, and this isolation can lead to increased fear and distrust of others. Compounded with the stresses of living in shelter, such as a lack of privacy, this isolation can impact the relationship between a mother and her young child. Children in these situations may experience increased parent-child conflict and display aggressive behavior toward their peers. At adulthood, females who witnessed intimate partner violence during childhood are more likely to experience abuse by intimate partners, while males are more likely to abuse their partners when compared to children from non-violent households. Using longitudinal data from a nationally representative sample of families, this research brief contributes to the field by analyzing how a family’s experiences with homelessness, poverty, and residential instability over the first five years of a child’s life are associated with incidences of intimate partner violence, specifically physical and sexual abuse against mothers by the child’s father. In addition, children’s exposure to such abuse by the time they are five years old is investigated. Details: New York: Institute for Children and Poverty, 2010. 5p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 5, 2011 at: http://www.icphusa.org/PDF/reports/ICP_ResearchBrief_ExposureToIntimatePartnerViolenceAmongPoorChildren.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://www.icphusa.org/PDF/reports/ICP_ResearchBrief_ExposureToIntimatePartnerViolenceAmongPoorChildren.pdf Shelf Number: 123243 Keywords: Child Witnesses, Family ViolenceFamily ViolenceHomelessnessIntimate Partner ViolencePoverty |
Author: Anderson, James M. Title: How Much Difference Does the Lawyer Make? The Effect of Defense Counsel on Murder Case Outcomes Summary: One in five indigent murder defendants in Philadelphia are randomly assigned representation by public defenders while the remainder receive court-appointed private attorneys. The authors exploit this random assignment to measure how defense counsel affect murder case outcomes. Compared to appointed counsel, public defenders in Philadelphia reduce their clients' murder conviction rate by 19% and lower the probability that their clients receive a life sentence by 62%. Public defenders reduce overall expected time served in prison by 24%. They find no difference in the overall number of charges of which defendants are found guilty. When they apply methods used in past studies of the effect of counsel that did not use random assignment, they obtain far more modest estimated impacts, which suggests defendant sorting is an important confounder affecting past research. To understand possible explanations for the disparity in outcomes, they interviewed judges, public defenders, and attorneys who took appointments. Interviewees identified a variety of institutional factors in Philadelphia that decreased the likelihood that appointed counsel would prepare cases as well as the public defenders. The vast difference in outcomes for defendants assigned different counsel types raises important questions about the adequacy and fairness of the criminal justice system. Details: Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2011. 47p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed on January 21, 2012 at http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/working_papers/2011/RAND_WR870.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/working_papers/2011/RAND_WR870.pdf Shelf Number: 123716 Keywords: DefendantsDefense AttorneysHomelessnessHomicide |
Author: National Coalition for the Homeless Title: Hate Crimes against the Homeless: Violence Hidden in Plain View Summary: the past twelve years (1999-2010), the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) has documented one thousand, one hundred eighty-four acts of violence against homeless individuals by housed perpetrators. These crimes are believed to be motivated by the perpetrators’ bias against homeless individuals or their ability to target homeless people with relative ease. The documented violence includes everything from murder to beatings, rapes, and setting people on fire. Hate Crimes against the Homeless: Violence Hidden in Plain View is the twelfth annual report documenting violence against homeless persons. The violence continues, and with twenty-four known deaths, 2010 ranks in the top-five deadliest years for attacks on homeless people in a decade, and with one hundred thirteen attacks, ranks as the fourth most violent year since NCH began tracking the violence in 1999. NCH has found startling data in the number and severity of attacks. However, the reports also acknowledge that since the homeless community is treated so poorly in our society, many more attacks go unreported. Hate crimes against the homeless community is a growing wave in need of public attention. • 1,184 reported acts of bias motivated violence have been committed against homeless individuals between 1999-2010. • 312 homeless individuals lost their lives as a result of the attacks • Reported violence has occurred in 47 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, DC Our data also suggests that the perpetrators of these attacks tend to be young men and teenage boys. In the twelve year history of our hate crime reports, the vast majority of the attacks against homeless people have been committed by youth as young as nine years old. In 2010: • 72 percent of the attacks were committed by people under thirty years of age • 88 percent of perpetrators were men • More than one in five attacks ended in death Hate Crimes against the Homeless: Violence Hidden in Plain View documents the known cases of violence against homeless individuals by housed individuals in 2010. The report includes descriptions of the cases, current and pending legislation that would help protect homeless people, and recommendations for advocates to help prevent violence against homeless individuals. Details: Washington, DC: National Coalition for the Homeless, 2012. 82p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 26, 2012 at: http://www.nationalhomeless.org/publications/hatecrimes/hatecrimes2010.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://www.nationalhomeless.org/publications/hatecrimes/hatecrimes2010.pdf Shelf Number: 123765 Keywords: Bias-Motivated CrimesHate Crimes (U.S.)Homelessness |
Author: Alana LaPerle Project Services Title: Downtown Street Outreach Initiative: Final Evaluation Report Summary: In the fall of 2010, Jim Taylor, Executive Director of the Downtown Business Association, and then-Deputy Chief Norm Lipinski made application to the Edmonton Police Foundation for an initiative to address safety concerns in downtown Edmonton. The proposal was for a downtown street outreach worker, provided by Boyle Street Community Services, who would work in partnership with Edmonton Police Services to “address root causes that bring some people to rely on street culture to survive” (EPF Project Application). Funding for a one year pilot project was granted and the Downtown Street Outreach Worker, Colin Inglis, “hit the streets” December 1, 2011. The worker‟s area of coverage was from 109 Street to 97 Street and from 104 Avenue to the top of the riverbank. In addition to the project funder and project partners (Edmonton Police Services, Downtown Business Association and Boyle Street Community Services), other stakeholders included community service agencies, downtown businesses, residents and people who work, shop and/or spend leisure time downtown. Details: Sherwood Park, AB: Alana LaPerle Project Services, 2011. 21p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 20, 2012 at http://www.threesource.ca/documents/February2012/Downtown-Street-Outreach-Initiative.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Canada URL: http://www.threesource.ca/documents/February2012/Downtown-Street-Outreach-Initiative.pdf Shelf Number: 124613 Keywords: Community SafetyHomelessnessIntervention ProgramsPublic Safety (Edmonton) |
Author: Dickson, Anne Title: The Use and Effectiveness of Exclusion Orders Under the Matrimonial Homes (Family protection) (Scotland)Act 1981 in Preventing Homelessness Summary: An exclusion order is a civil legal remedy that removes an abuser from a family home and, together with other legal remedies, should enable women to remain in their own home, living safely apart from an abuser. Very little is known about how often women use these orders and whether they are effective when used. Exclusion orders were introduced into Scots Law by the Matrimonial Homes (Family Protection) (Scotland) Act 1981, as part of a range of civil legal remedies intended to protect women from abusive partners. Exclusion orders offer women the option of removing the abuser from the home as an alternative to leaving and seeking rehousing. Since their introduction, there have been many changes in the response to domestic abuse and rehousing as a homeless person. One policy shift in recent years has been a focus on prevention of homelessness and in this context, exclusion orders may have a role to play as an alternative to rehousing through homelessness services. Exclusion orders could prevent homelessness for women and their children, if women choose to stay in the home and remove the abuser. However, there is no clear evidence from central or local data that establishes whether exclusion orders, nearly 30 years after their introduction, present an effective, sustainable alternative for women who do not want to leave their home. This is a report of the findings of research commissioned by ScottishWomen’s Aid to consider how effective exclusion orders are in preventing homelessness of women, children and young people in the context of domestic abuse. In this study, effectiveness is defined to include consideration of whether exclusion orders are used and, when used, whether they operate to keep women in their home, safe and protected from further abuse, without any future period of homelessness. This research is concerned with one legal remedy which may have a role to play in the prevention of homelessness: an assessment of its current contribution to the prevention of homelessness and the reasons why women use it; barriers to using it; and what changes, if any, may be required to expand its contribution to the prevention of homelessness. Initial scoping of the research with women’s aid groups and in local courts identified that there is little use of exclusion orders. The research then focused primarily on identifying why women are not using exclusion orders as a remedy. This involved identifying those factors that influence women as they decide whether to leave the home and seek rehousing elsewhere, or stay in the home with or without exclusion orders. Our focus in identifying these factors was to consider what changes, if any, would be required to make exclusion orders a more viable alternative and accessible to women. Details: Edinburgh: Scottish Women's Aid, 2010? 80p. Source: Internet Resource: accessed April 5, 2012 at: http://www.scottishwomensaid.org.uk/assets/files/publications/research_reports/ExclusionOrderReport.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.scottishwomensaid.org.uk/assets/files/publications/research_reports/ExclusionOrderReport.pdf Shelf Number: 124852 Keywords: Civil Protection OrdersDomestic Violence (Scotland)Homelessness |
Author: National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty Title: Criminalizing Crisis: The Criminalization of Homelessness in U.S. Cities Summary: Since the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty (the Law Center) and the National Coalition for the Homeless released their last report on the criminalization of homelessness, Homes Not Handcuffs, in July 2009, the housing and homelessness crisis in the United States has deepened significantly. In its 2010 survey of 27 large cities, the U.S. Conference of Mayors observed that 52 percent of cities have seen in increase in overall homelessness, while 58 percent have seen an increase in family homelessness. Further, across the surveyed cities, an average of 27 percent of homeless people were turned away from emergency shelter due to lack of space. Despite the fact that communities all over the country lack adequate affordable housing and shelter space, cities are continuing to penalize people forced to live on our streets and in public spaces. Criminalization measures often prohibit activities like as sleeping/camping, eating, sitting, and/or begging in public spaces and include criminal penalties for violations of these laws. Some cities have even enacted restrictions that punish groups and individuals for serving food to homeless people. Many of these measures appear to be designed to move homeless persons out of sight, or even out of a given city. Criminalizing Crisis, the Law Center’s tenth report on the criminalization of homelessness, provides an overview of the criminalization measures in place across the country, as well as guidance on how advocates can combat them and promote more constructive alternatives. The report summarizes the results of a national survey by the Law Center on the enforcement of criminalization measures across the country, as well as a survey of the particular laws in place in 234 cities and the changes in those laws since our 2009 report. Criminalizing Crisis reviews the costs and other impacts of criminalization and includes recommendations for policy change. The report concludes that criminalization measures do nothing to solve the problem of homelessness. Instead, they frequently perpetuate homelessness, place unnecessary burdens on our criminal justice system, and violate homeless individuals’ civil and human rights. The report’s comprehensive Advocacy Manual provides guidance and tools for advocates. Details: Washington, DC: National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, 2011. 208p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 6, 2012 at: http://www.nlchp.org/content/pubs/11.14.11%20criminalization%20report%20&%20advocacy%20manual,%20final1.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://www.nlchp.org/content/pubs/11.14.11%20criminalization%20report%20&%20advocacy%20manual,%20final1.pdf Shelf Number: 125485 Keywords: Homeless Persons (U.S.)HomelessnessHousingPoverty |
Author: Howard League for Penal Reform Title: Young, Adult and No Support: The Entitlements of Young Adults to Care in the Community Summary: Since 2002 the Howard League has provided a legal service to children in prison. In 2007 the Howard League expanded its service to provide the only dedicated legal service for young adults in prison. ‘Young adults’ are defined by the prison service as a prisoner between the ages of 18 and 20 years. This report is produced by the Howard League’s young adult legal team based on the experience and evidence from our casework. Our young adult team undertake groundbreaking work which begins to assert and clarify the rights and entitlements of this neglected and ignored group. A considerable part of our work has focused on ensuring that there is an appropriate and detailed plan for the young person when she or he returns to the community. This transition is known as ‘resettlement’ and the right plan can be critical to obtaining release from custody and a safe return to the community. This publication is intended to be a guide for any practitioners who work with vulnerable young adults. We hope that this will be a useful guide for people to understand the rights and entitlements of young adults and assist in enabling practitioners to promote access to suitable support for young adults. Details: London: Howard League for Penal Reform, 2010. 54p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 27, 2012 at: http://www.t2a.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Howard-League-Young-Adult-and-No-support.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.t2a.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Howard-League-Young-Adult-and-No-support.pdf Shelf Number: 126121 Keywords: HomelessnessHousingPrisoner ReentryResettlementYoung Adult Offenders (U.K.) |
Author: John Howard Society of Ontario Title: Effective, Just and Humane: A Case for Client-Centered Collaboration: Case Study of John Howard Society of Toronto’s Housing Program Summary: Access to safe and affordable housing is a cornerstone of healthy communities. Failure to provide this necessary foundation for individuals who are vulnerable to homelessness results in a population that faces enormous health disparities, not to mention massive costs to health care and social service systems. Health disparities or inequities are differences in health outcomes that are avoidable, unfair and systematically related to social inequality and disadvantage. The literature is quite clear in this regard: homelessness is inexorably linked with significantly poorer health outcomes, including, but certainly not limited to: being at a higher risk for communicable diseases, acute and often life-threatening conditions, victimization and extremely high mortality rates. Social determinants of health such as poverty, lack of social supports, unemployment and lack of stable housing all increase an individual’s likelihood of becoming homeless. In fact, the underlying determinants of homelessness tend to be the very same factors that predict involvement in the criminal justice system. Indeed, there is a significant bidirectional relationship between homelessness and involvement in the criminal justice system, whereby precariously housed or homeless individuals are more likely to come into conflict with the law and be incarcerated, and once incarcerated, risk of homelessness becomes greater upon eventual release. Not surprisingly then, simply providing housing will not eliminate the existence of homelessness, given all of its associated complexities. It is also necessary to provide resources that address the underlying causes of homelessness, which are manifold (Tremblay, 2009). It is evident from the current literature that the challenges of homelessness require a comprehensive and multi-sectoral solution, which not only addresses the issue of lack of safe and affordable housing, but also targets other intersecting determinants of health inequities experienced by the homeless population. Despite this need, there generally exists a lack of, or inadequate mechanisms for, effective communication between community organizations, government agencies, and other key stakeholders in coordinating the multiple services often required by individuals who are homeless. This need is especially salient for homeless populations who have been recently released from correctional institutions, or who have had previous contact with the criminal justice system, as this population tends to have added challenges that cross-cut any one service sector. Details: Toronto: John Howard Society of Ontario, 2012. 47p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 18, 2012 at: http://www.johnhoward.on.ca/pdfs/FINAL%20Community%20Report%20May%202012.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Canada URL: http://www.johnhoward.on.ca/pdfs/FINAL%20Community%20Report%20May%202012.pdf Shelf Number: 126369 Keywords: Crime PreventionEx-OffendersHomeless PersonsHomelessnessPrisoner ReentrySupportive Housing (Toronto, Canada) |
Author: Luby, Jane Title: Finding and Sustaining a Home in the Private Rented Sector: The Essentials. A Guide for Frontline Staff Working with Homeless Offenders Summary: The aim of this guide is to provide frontline Prison Service and Probation Trust staff with the knowledge and tools to help people with a history of offending find, and keep, a home in the private rented sector (PRS). It provides a combination of detailed guidance and practical tools, as well as case study examples that can help you find suitable and sustainable homes in the PRS for former offenders. It will help you to better understand: • What is different about the PRS compared to other types of accommodation; • The pros and cons of the PRS compared to other types of accommodation; • The barriers to accessing the PRS and how you can help offenders overcome them; • What you need to do to give offenders the best possible chances of getting landlords to take and keep them as tenants; • How you need to tailor your support for people with specific needs, such as women, MAPPA offenders, people with no recourse to public funds, and those with substance misuse problems or mental health needs; • How to create partnerships with others and/or develop your service where there are gaps in what you currently deliver; and • How to access other national and local resources. Details: London: Crisis, 2012. 72p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 21, 2012 at: http://www.crisis.org.uk/data/files/publications/SupportingOffendersInThePRS.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.crisis.org.uk/data/files/publications/SupportingOffendersInThePRS.pdf Shelf Number: 126395 Keywords: Ex-Offenders (U.K.)HomelessnessHousingPrisoner Reentry |
Author: Jones, Anwen Title: Addressing Antisocial Behaviour: An Independent Evaluation of Shelter Inclusion Project Summary: Shelter Inclusion Project represents a new approach to tackling antisocial behaviour and social exclusion. The scheme was launched in 2002 in partnership with Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council. The project was designed to provide an alternative model to present enforcement policies and residential schemes by offering a specialist floating support service to help households identify and deal with the causes of their behaviour and learn how to resolve their situations. Shelter Inclusion Project illustrates how meeting the support needs of households involved in antisocial acts can impact positively on their behaviour and reduce the risk of homelessness and social exclusion. An independent evaluation of the pilot model, funded by the Housing Corporation and undertaken by the Centre for Housing Policy, University of York, found that: the project succeeded in ending or improving antisocial behaviour in seven out of ten households that had completed their time with the project. Among the 45 ‘closed case’ households, 60 per cent no longer exhibited any antisocial behaviour. A further 11 per cent were reported as showing improvements in their behaviour. high levels of tenancy sustainment were achieved, with 84 per cent of closed cases assessed as no longer being at risk of homelessness following contact with the project. there was a high level of service engagement, with users accepting targeted work to address antisocial behaviour. Most service users reported that the project had made a significant difference to their lives, helping them to regain confidence, control and self-respect. Over its three-year duration, the project supported 74 households containing a total of 230 individuals. The households had been subject to a total of 149 actions for antisocial behaviour, including written and verbal warnings, eviction, injunctions and Anti-social Behaviour Orders. The most common antisocial acts were noise and youth nuisance. The majority of the households, 67 per cent, contained children. Lone parent households formed the most common type of household at 43 per cent. However, in 70 per cent of cases, antisocial behaviour was being committed only by an adult in the household. The households were almost all economically inactive at the point of referral. Only three per cent of the service users were in work. Nearly half (45 per cent) were carers for dependent children. Children were often experiencing disruption to their education, including truanting and exclusion, at the point of referral. Twenty-four per cent of the children were either temporarily or permanently excluded, or missing significant amounts of school. Many households had high levels of selfreported health and support needs. More than half the households contained an adult with depression and other mental health problems. Just under one third of the households contained someone with a limiting illness or disability. Drug and alcohol dependency among adults was a problem in 23 per cent of the households. Details: York, UK: Shelter, The University of York and The Housing Corporation, 2006. 60p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 26, 2012 at: http://england.shelter.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/38611/Inclusion_Project_Evaluation_Addressing_antisocial_behaviour.pdf Year: 2006 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://england.shelter.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/38611/Inclusion_Project_Evaluation_Addressing_antisocial_behaviour.pdf Shelf Number: 126458 Keywords: Antisocial Behavior (U.K.)HomelessnessHousingShelter Inclusion ProjectSocial Exclusion |
Author: National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty Title: Alone Without a Home: A State-by-State Review of Laws Affecting Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Summary: Each year, an estimated 1.6 million children and youth (ages 12-17) experience homelessness without a parent or guardian. These youth leave home for a variety of reasons, including severe family conflict, parental abuse or neglect, parental mental health issues, or substance abuse. Whether runaway or throwaway, once on the street, unaccompanied homeless youth face numerous legal barriers that often complicate their attempts to meet the basic necessities of life on their own and prevent them from reaching out for assistance to state agencies and service providers that could otherwise help them. Further complicating matters is that many of these laws vary considerably from state to state, creating misinterpretations by service providers and mistaken avoidance of services on the part of homeless youth who may fear being taken into state custody or assume they will be turned away. This report reviews the state of current law in 12 key issue areas that affect the lives and future prospects of unaccompanied homeless youth in all 50 U.S. states and 6 territories. The report offers an overview of the range of approaches taken by states and their relative prevalence, and reveals significant differences in many cases. The report also provides recommendations for policy change in each of the areas, with a view towards strengthening the supports available to unaccompanied youth. While many issues surrounding unaccompanied youth remain controversial, the aim of this report is to recommend steps that can protect their safety, development, health and dignity, and thus increase their prospects for positive future outcomes. Details: Washington, DC: National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, 2012. 251p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 24, 2012 at: http://www.nlchp.org/content/pubs/Alone%20Without%20a%20Home,%20FINAL1.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://www.nlchp.org/content/pubs/Alone%20Without%20a%20Home,%20FINAL1.pdf Shelf Number: 126783 Keywords: Homeless Persons (U.S.)HomelessnessPovertyRunaways |
Author: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Title: Linking SAAP, Child Protection and Juvenile Justice Data: Technical Report Summary: Following the release of a study exploring the feasibility of linking three community-sector data collections, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare was funded to link child protection, juvenile justice and Supported Accommodation Assistance Program data. This report describes the process used to link these collections. The analysis of the linked data is in a companion report, Children and young people at risk of social exclusion: links between homelessness, child protection and juvenile justice. Details: Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2012. 32p. Source: Internet Resource: Data Linkage Series No. 14: Accessed November 23, 2012 at: http://www.aihw.gov.au/publication-detail/?id=60129542244 Year: 2012 Country: Australia URL: http://www.aihw.gov.au/publication-detail/?id=60129542244 Shelf Number: 126947 Keywords: Child ProtectionChild WelfareHomelessnessJuvenile Justice Systems (Australia) |
Author: Aalders, Rachel Title: Children and Young People at Risk of Social Exclusion: Links between homelessness, child protection and juvenile justice Summary: Current research demonstrates relationships between child abuse and neglect, homelessness and criminal activity. This report presents key findings from analysis of a data set linking three community-sector data collections: Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP), juvenile justice supervision, and child protection notifications and substantiations in Victoria and Tasmania. While this project demonstrated that linking these collections is both feasible and worthwhile, the results are limited by data availability (this project used 3 years of SAAP data, 10 years of juvenile justice data, 18 years of Victorian child protection data and 3 years of Tasmanian child protection data). The accumulation of data over multiple years for all sectors would enable the flows between services over the long term to be identified, but despite the data limitations, the results highlight the possibilities for data linkage in these sectors although caution must be used in generalising these findings. People with involvement in one of the three sectors are more likely to be involved in another of the sectors than the general population Almost 15% of young people under juvenile justice supervision had received SAAP support in the year before their most recent supervision and 8% received support in the year after their most recent supervision. For those with a substantiated child protection notification, 6% received support in the year before and 7% in the year after their most recent substantiated notification. In contrast, about 1% of those aged 10 and older in the general population receive SAAP services as a client in a year and about 2% receive services as an accompanying child (AIHW 2010). More than 10% of those who received SAAP support as an adult had a history of juvenile justice supervision— by comparison, about 1% of those aged 16 or 17 (the peak age for juvenile justice supervision) are under supervision in any given year (AIHW 2011c). (National figures on the proportion of the adult population with a history of juvenile justice supervision are not available.) Young people with a child protection history enter juvenile justice supervision at a younger age Of those under juvenile justice supervision who had one or more substantiated child protection notifications, 21% first entered supervision aged 10–13 compared with 6% of those with no substantiated notifications. Young people without substantiated notifications were more likely to have entered supervision when they were older, with 33% doing so at age 17 compared with 11% of those who had one or more substantiated notifications. Young people, particularly young women, completing a detention sentence are at greater risk of homelessness Within 1 month after the end of a period of sentenced detention, 3% of periods were followed by a period of SAAP support—this increased to 9% within 6 months. Young women were twice as likely as young men to receive SAAP support in the month after the end of a sentenced detention period. Details: Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2012. Source: Internet Resource: Data Linkage Series, Number 13: Accessed November 24, 2012 at: www.aihw.gov.au/publication-detail/?id=60129542237 Year: 2012 Country: Armenia URL: Shelf Number: 126995 Keywords: At-risk YouthChild Abuse and NeglectChild ProtectionDelinquency PreventionHomelessnessJuvenile JusticeJuvenile Offenders (Australia) |
Author: Thomson, Jessica Title: Housing Needs of Adults Post-Incarceration in Edmonton Summary: The Mustard Seed is a humanitarian organization that delivers basic services, housing, and employment programs to those in need and partners with the community to address the root causes of poverty. As the organization develops and expands its housing programs it recognizes that one of its strengths is the ability and experience to work with the correctional population. This research study is an investigation into the housing status and plans of adults being discharged from correctional facilities into the Edmonton area. Headed by the Mustard Seed, the project was conducted in collaboration with researchers from the University of Alberta. Aside from one recent study conducted by the John Howard Society in Toronto it appears that very little research has been conducted on this topic in the Canadian context and virtually none has been done in Edmonton. This exploratory study aims to address a gap in the research on the challenges faced by incarcerated populations and their post-incarceration housing status in Edmonton and surrounding area. There are five federal institutions (Edmonton Institution, Edmonton Institution for Women, Stan Daniels, Buffalo Sage, Grierson) in Edmonton, another a federal institution that releases into Edmonton (Bowden Institution), a Remand Centre, and a Provincial Centre in a suburb near Edmonton. The consequence of being home to or near to these institutions is a high number of offenders settling in the Edmonton area post-incarceration. The implications for housing-related issues and challenges to reintegration are significant. Although research specific to the Edmonton area is lacking other research suggests that the first 90 days after release is the critical period that can ‘make or break’ the reintegration effort (Oregon Re-entry, 2011). Numerous studies acknowledge the link between incarceration, reintegration, and homelessness. In a recent study of homelessness and incarceration among Aboriginal women in Canada, Walsh et al. (2012) pointed out that Aboriginal women who are incarcerated are at an increased risk to be homeless and those who are homeless are at an increased risk for being incarcerated. A 2004 study in the United Kingdom acknowledged that the risk of re-offending is linked to a former prisoner’s housing situation and that accommodation issues can increase the likelihood of reoffending by up to 20% (Home Office, 2004a, p. 9, from Harding & Harding, 2006). In Canada, the link between incarceration and homelessness has been most fully described by a recent Toronto study. According to Homeless and Jailed: Jailed and Homeless, a study conducted by the John Howard Society of Toronto (2010) being homeless increases the likelihood of ending up in jail, while imprisonment increases the risk of homelessness. As Padgett et al. (2006) have argued, a ‘housing first’ approach to addressing the needs of those dealing with homelessness, mental illness, and drug addiction – common challenges to many leaving prison – is much more successful in dealing with mental illness and drug addiction issues than standard models of care. Research Questions The research questions informing this project are: 1. What is the housing status of adults transitioning from correctional facilities into the Greater Edmonton Area into the community? 2. Do releases from correctional facilities impact the homeless count in the Greater Edmonton area? 3. Does this demographic require additional support around issues pertaining to housing? Details: Edmonton, AB, Canada: Mustard Seed Edmonton and the University of Alberta, 2013. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 22, 2013 at: http://www.homewardtrust.ca/images/resources/2013-02-11-14-31MustardSeed_FINAL_2013%2001%2030.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Canada URL: http://www.homewardtrust.ca/images/resources/2013-02-11-14-31MustardSeed_FINAL_2013%2001%2030.pdf Shelf Number: 127705 Keywords: Ex-OffendersHomelessnessHousingPrisoner Reentry (Canada) |
Author: Biasotti, Michael C. Title: Management of the Severely Mentally Ill and its Effects on Homeland Security Summary: As a result of the events of September 11, 2001, law enforcement agencies nationwide have been assigned a plethora of terrorism prevention and recovery related duties. Many federal documents outline and emphasize duties and responsibilities pertaining to local law enforcement. The prevention of acts of terrorism within communities has become a focal point of patrol activities for state and local police agencies. Simultaneously, local law enforcement is dealing with the unintended consequences of a policy change that in effect removed the daily care of our nation’s severely mentally ill population from the medical community and placed it with the criminal justice system. This policy change has caused a spike in the frequency of arrests of severely mentally ill persons, prison and jail population and the homeless population. A nationwide survey of 2,406 senior law enforcement officials conducted within this paper indicates that the deinstitutionalization of the severely mentally ill population has become a major consumer of law enforcement resources nationwide. This paper argues that highly cost-effective policy recommendations exist that would assist in correcting the current situation, which is needlessly draining law enforcement resources nationwide, thereby allowing sorely needed resources to be directed toward this nation’s homeland security concerns. Details: Monterey, CA: Naval Postgraduate School, 2011. 155p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed March 5, 2013 at: http://www.nychiefs.org/media/Mgmt_Severely_Mentally_Ill_Homeland_Security_Biasotti.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://www.nychiefs.org/media/Mgmt_Severely_Mentally_Ill_Homeland_Security_Biasotti.pdf Shelf Number: 127828 Keywords: Homeland SecurityHomelessnessLaw Enforcement ResourcesMental Health ServicesMental Illness (U.S.)Mentally Ill Offenders |
Author: Lutze, Faith E. Title: Washington State's Reentry Housing Pilot Program Evaluation: Year 3 Final Report Summary: In 2007 Washington State continued its work to end homelessness and to reduce recidivism committed by high risk and high need offenders being released from prison or jail without a home or a viable release plan. To address the issue of recidivism and homelessness the State implemented the Reentry Housing Pilot Program (RHPP) and similar programs funded by the Housing Grant Assistance Program (HGAP). This report provides the results of the final phase of the research project designed to determine whether providing wrap around services, treatment, and offender accountability with the provision of affordable and safe housing reduces recidivism. This report provides (1) a description of each of the RHPP programs implemented in Clark, King, and Spokane Counties and the HGAP programs implemented in Clallam and Whatcom Counties; and (2) a 24 month follow-up outcome evaluation comparing RHPP/HGAP participants with a similar group of offenders released from prison. RHPP/HGAP participants are compared with offenders who were released from prison into homelessness, unstable housing, or stable housing. The Washington State Legislature eliminated funding for the RHPP program in 2009 due to the economic crisis confronting the state. RHPP Outcome Evaluation Findings: RHPP participants were less likely (32%) than the comparison groups (36%) to be convicted for a new crime 24 months following their release from prison. This finding was not statistically significant. RHPP participants were less likely (45%) than the comparison groups (50%) to be revoked from community supervision for a violation. This finding was not statistically significant. RHPP participants were significantly less likely (53%) than the comparison groups (62%) to be readmitted to prison. HGAP Outcome Evaluation Findings: HGAP participants experience significantly fewer new convictions. These findings were mixed based on county. HGAP participants were significantly less likely (17%) to have their community supervision revoked than the comparison group (41%). HGAP participants were significantly less likely (41%) to be readmitted to prison than the comparison groups (60%). Details: Pullman, WA: Washington State University, Criminal Justice Program, 2011. 49p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 20, 2013 at: http://www.co.whatcom.wa.us/health/wchac/pdf/rhpp_year3_report_june_2011.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://www.co.whatcom.wa.us/health/wchac/pdf/rhpp_year3_report_june_2011.pdf Shelf Number: 128016 Keywords: Ex-OffendersHomelessnessHousingPrisoner Reentry (Washington State, U.S.Recidivism |
Author: Blasi, Gary Title: Policing Our Way Out of Homelessness? The First Year of the Safer Cities Initiative on Skid Row Summary: One year ago, on September 24, 2006, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced the public launch of a “Safer Cities Initiative” on Skid Row in Los Angeles. This report summarizes the results of that initiative, as determined through a months-long research project carried out by two faculty members and twelve advanced law students1 who comprised the Fact Investigation Clinic at the UCLA School of Law. This report is part of a larger project examining the problem of chronic homelessness in Los Angeles’ Skid Row and the role of City and County policy in both contributing to and responding to that problem. Our investigation has included review of about 15,000 pages of public records and the analysis of multiple computer databases provided under the California Public Records Act by the Los Angeles Police Department, the Office of the City Attorney, and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. We also conducted more than 200 interviews of people with special knowledge of one or more aspects of the problem. A future report will examine the role of County policy, particularly in the operation of the General Relief program, in relation to chronic homelessness on Skid Row. We also expect to continue the research and investigation reflected in this report and to integrate other information and data as they are received in a future comprehensive report. To that extent, this report should be regarded as preliminary and interim in nature. In summary form, this is what we found thus far: Homelessness in the City of Los Angeles • Although Los Angeles has the largest homeless population of any city in the United States, this is primarily because Los Angeles is large and has so many extremely poor people. The ratio of homeless people to extremely poor people is similar, for example, to that in San Francisco or San Jose. • What does distinguish Los Angeles from many other cities is how few of its homeless are sheltered (21%) compared to 57% in San Francisco and more than 90% in Philadelphia, Denver, or New York City. • Although the great majority of Los Angeles’ homeless population lives outside Skid Row, the 0.85 square miles of Skid Row has by far the densest population of homeless people. • Homeless individuals in Skid Row are predominantly people with severe and chronic mental disabilities, addiction disease, and most commonly both mental disability and addiction (cooccurring disorders). Shelter and Short Term Housing in Los Angeles and in Skid Row • Across the City, there are about 13 persons with mental disabilities for every shelter space targeting this population, and 21.5 homeless addicts for every potential shelter bed. For the many people with co-occurring disorders, the ratio is likely far higher. • Whether shelter or transitional housing spaces are actually available depends very much on the funding and program restrictions of the shelter program operations, including restrictions related to disability, religious participation, and gender. Most shelters have restrictions that effectively exclude broad segments of the homeless population. • About half of the shelter and housing program beds for homeless individuals in the County of Los Angeles are located in Skid Row, a current result of past City planning decisions and current NIMBY (“Not in My Back Yard”) resistance to homeless services outside Skid Row. • Contrary to some reports, based on an independent analysis of nightly call sheets by LAPD officers, the median number of actually available shelter beds in Skid Row has been four (4) beds, at a time when the LAPD was counting about 1,000 homeless people living on the sidewalks each night. This extremely low vacancy rate is confirmed by other studies. • Emergency (night-only) shelters return homeless people to the streets during the day. There is, however, broad agreement that the only real path off the streets for the mentally disabled and chronically homeless requires 24-hour housing with support services. Details: Los Angeles: UCLA School of Law, 2007. 54p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 23, 2013 at: http://www.lafla.org/pdf/policinghomelessness.pdf Year: 2007 Country: United States URL: http://www.lafla.org/pdf/policinghomelessness.pdf Shelf Number: 107710 Keywords: HomelessnessPolicing Homeless PersonsSkid Row (California) |
Author: Smeaton, Emilie Title: Struggling to Survive: Children Living Alone on the Streets in Tanzania and Kenya Summary: Children living alone on the streets are often referred to as ʻstreet childrenʼ both in general discourse and within literature describing aspects of their lives and policy or practice responses to meet their needs. This report does not refer to children who live on the streets or participated in the research as ʻstreet childrenʼ as this term can be used in a range of ways, for example to describe children who live on the streets with their families, work on the streets or spend time on the streets but return to their family home. The term ʻstreet childrenʼ also emphasises the role of the streets when, as the findings of this report reveal, inherent to these childrenʼs lives are their experiences prior to coming to the streets and in environments away from the streets. These children are first and foremost children and have the same rights as any other children to a life free from risk or harm where they can develop and reach their potential. Therefore they should not be labelled by where they live but recognised as individual children with diverse characteristics and needs. The children that this research addresses live full-time on the streets and do not return home at night to live with their family or other carers. There is a significant body of research addressing children and youths who live on the streets in different parts of the world. It is important to recognise that there is considerable diversity in the experiences of children who live on the streets dependent upon personal circumstances and characteristics alongside the environments where they live. The voices of children who live on the streets is lacking from a number of research studies addressing their lives and recommended responses to meet their needs. With this in mind, Railway Children made a strategic decision to undertake qualitative research in Tanzania and Kenya. The findings of the research will support the expansion of Railway Childrenʼs work in these two countries and the development of a programme of work aiming to meet the needs of children living alone on the streets ensuring positive outcomes for these children. The aims of the research were to: n capture, in their words, the experiences of children in Tanzania and Kenya, who live alone on the streets for four weeks or more whilst under the age of 16; n present an up-to-date and realistic perspective of what it means to be alone and on the streets in Tanzania and Kenya; n provide a robust evidence base addressing the lives and experiences of children living alone on the streets in Tanzania and Kenya; n identify a range of policy and practice recommendations to meet the needs of children who live alone on the streets in Tanzania and Kenya. It is important to outline that the focus of the research was to gain the views and experiences of children who are particularly vulnerable and marginalised such as those who have never received any services and are not known to service providers, or those who are known to service providers but whose cases are particularly complex and current service provision has not been able to meet their needs. However, children who were away from home for four weeks or more but have accessed services also participated in the research as it was important to include their views and experiences of the services available. For example, a small number of the children who participated in the research have stayed in centres for children who live on the streets or have been supported to return to their families. Details: Sandbach, UK: Railway Children; Mwanza, Tanzania: Railway Children Africa, 2011? 91p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 4, 2013 at: http://www.railwaychildren.org.uk/media/26247/_struggling_to_survive__-_children_living_alone_on_the_streets_of_tanzania___kenya_-_full_report.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Africa URL: http://www.railwaychildren.org.uk/media/26247/_struggling_to_survive__-_children_living_alone_on_the_streets_of_tanzania___kenya_-_full_report.pdf Shelf Number: 128264 Keywords: Child ProtectionHomelessnessStreet Children (Tanzania, Kenya) |
Author: Schweitzer, Don Title: Asking for Directions: Partnering with Youth to Build the Evidence Base for Runaway and Homeless Youth Services Summary: Each year it is estimated that almost 2 million American youth run away from home, are thrown out of their homes, or otherwise end up homeless. As concerning as those numbers are, the risks runaway and homeless youth are exposed to when they find themselves on the street are even more so. Running away from home dramatically increases the risk of victimization, both physically and sexually. Moreover, youth living on the streets exhibit much higher health risks including higher rates of substance abuse, suicide attempts, sexually transmitted disease, pregnancy and death. Because runaway and homeless youth find themselves lacking skills and resources necessary to fully engage in employment, they are left with few legally permissible options for survival. The research literature has addressed many aspects of the lives of runaway and homeless youth (RHY): the history, policy, practice and research but has neglected youth perspectives on their needs. The complexities associated with the RHY population such as age, pathways to running away and/or homelessness, mental health, abuse, neglect, etc. make this a challenging field to work in. Yet understanding these complexities and evaluating the interventions used by community social service programs designed to help youth return home, or enter other safe, stable housing, is critical to helping this field develop and improve interventions, programs, and prevention strategies that will be used by this uniquely vulnerable population. In 1974, Congress first passed the Runaway Youth Act (RYA) providing funding for community shelter programs called Basic Centers. In subsequent years Transitional Living Programs (1988) and Street Outreach services (1994) were added to the act. Unfortunately, researchers, youth advocates, and many service providers report that the vast majority of runaway and homeless youth reject the services and programs designed to meet their needs and keep them safe. This dynamic exacerbates an already perilous situation for youth who find themselves on the streets. Much of the research to date has focused on the pathology of youth and/or their families. This project suggests that if to understand the complexities of these youth and move toward a system with improved utilization rates, we should begin by asking - what are programs doing that work for RHY? Which services or practices do the youth feel are most helpful? Is there a way to synthesize these practices, codify them, and begin to build the evidence base for working effectively with RHY? This study began this process by conducting 14 focus groups with 52 youth ages 14 - 21, who were receiving services from a Basic Center (3), a drop-in center (3), a street outreach program (2), or a Transitional Living Program (6), and asking them what is it about this program that works for you? Then the researcher hired RHY to analyze those responses. Findings hold the potential to begin filling the chasm that exists in the literature around effective practice with RHY. Details: Forest Grove, OR: Pacific University (Faculty Scholarship), 2013. 22p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 31, 2014 at: http://commons.pacificu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1053&context=casfac Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://commons.pacificu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1053&context=casfac Shelf Number: 131834 Keywords: Homeless PersonsHomelessnessRunaways |
Author: Wormith, J. Stephen Title: Homelessness Among Offenders Released from Federal Correctional Facilities in Saskatchewan Summary: A growing body of research has identified housing as a key component in the successful reintegration of offenders into the community following a period of incarceration. Federal offenders are likely to face greater challenges obtaining stable housing than provincial offenders because, by law, they have been sentenced to longer periods of custody (i.e., a minimum of two years, although most are released within 16 months). Longer time away from the community may result in additional difficulty obtaining stable housing for reasons, which include the loss of past contacts. The purpose of this project was to examine issues related to housing and homelessness of federal offenders released from custody into the Saskatchewan community. More specifically, an examination of current services available to assist offenders in finding appropriate housing, characteristics of offenders who are homeless and housing services that are needed was conducted. Three kinds of research methodology were utilized: 1. A search of Saskatchewan housing services and programs available to released federal offenders was undertaken. 2. In-depth interviews were conducted with a broad cross-section of key informants involved in housing related activities with federal offenders. 3. Data were collected from offender files and interviews with 41 inmates residing in Saskatchewan federal correctional facilities. Two sets of interviews were conducted. One interview took place prior to the offenders' release from prison and the other interview took place after they were released to communities in Saskatchewan. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses were conducted in order to address the research questions of this study. Qualitative content analyses were conducted in order to provide detailed descriptive information of the current services and the housing needs and issues of federal offenders. Quantitative research methods were used to analyze numerical data and conduct analyses to determine whether offender characteristics are related to homelessness. The use of multiple data sources and methods of analyses increases the validity of the findings. Prior to analyzing the findings that address each of the research questions, a description of the housing situation of the participants was provided. Homelessness was found to increase after incarceration. For the 11 participants interviewed in the community only, homelessness decreased to similar levels as pre-incarceration when in the community. It is difficult to state that the levels of homelessness would have decreased to the pre-incarceration levels for the whole sample since they were a more serious offender group. Therefore, the small sample size at follow-up was a limitation for this specific analysis. However, the community sample may be more representative of offenders actually remaining in the community as more serious offenders are more likely to re-offend and be re-incarcerated. The following main findings are presented as they address each of the research questions below. 1. Are there adequate housing resources and support for released offenders? To determine whether there are adequate housing resources and support for released offenders the inventory of housing services, key informant interviews and offender interviews were analyzed. The inventory of housing services available for released offenders indicated that single males who are high risk/high needs with a violent or sexual criminal history and not on parole or conditional release have the least options. Key informant interviews found that a number of positive housing programs and services are available. However, waitlists and accessibility to these programs pose a barrier to offenders trying to access them. Federal offenders stated that more housing support and resources are needed prior to their release in order to help them better establish their housing plans and avoid some of the difficulties they face when trying to obtain housing, such as finding safe and affordable accommodation. 2. How can we prevent federally released offenders from becoming homeless? Federal offenders and key informants identified factors that would prevent offenders from becoming homeless. Federal offenders stated that support/access to resources, financial assistance and accommodation was needed to prevent them from becoming homeless. Key informants stated that a central housing registry and/or an offender housing complex, housing life skills programs, less discrimination, and an appropriate minimum wage to keep up with housing costs was needed to prevent federal offenders from becoming homeless. 3. Are there characteristics that differentiate those who find stable housing from those who do not? Offenders who were homeless prior to incarceration were likely to be more violent and have higher needs than those who had more stable housing. Those who had more stable housing were also more likely to have greater community support. Furthermore, sex offenders and those who engaged in Aboriginal programming were less likely to have an adequate housing plan at release. Key informants reported that offenders who were more likely to be homeless were those who lacked finances, needed housing resources, lacked life skills, had to search for a new home, and did not have a job. 4. Is there a need for specific programs for federally released offenders? Lastly, a review of the information provided through the inventory of housing services available, key informants and federal offenders indicated the need for programs that create more accessibility to housing resources and increase pre-release planning, and the creation of a central housing registry and supportive living unit for federal offenders with no other housing options. Details: Saskatoon: University of Saskatchewan, 2010. 77p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 26, 2014 at: http://www.usask.ca/cfbsjs/research/pdf/research_reports/Federal_Offenders_Housing_and_Homelessness_Final-2.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Canada URL: http://www.usask.ca/cfbsjs/research/pdf/research_reports/Federal_Offenders_Housing_and_Homelessness_Final-2.pdf Shelf Number: 132552 Keywords: Ex-OffendersHomelessnessHousingOffender ReentryReintegration |
Author: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Title: Report to Congress on the Runaway and Homeless Youth Program Fiscal Years 2012 and 2013 Summary: Almost 40 years ago, the groundbreaking Runaway and Homeless Youth Act created the first line of defense for young people who had run away from home, become homeless, or been asked to leave home by their families. Congress recognized the precarious circumstances of young people who could not return home but did not yet have the financial, social, or emotional resources to live successfully on their own. Runaway and homeless youth have often been traumatized by violence and abuse at home or in their communities. They have never had, or have lost contact with, supportive adults who could provide guidance and model healthy decision‐making. Also, these young people often fail to develop the educational and job‐readiness skills that are so crucial to financial and housing stability in adulthood. Young people who live on the streets are at high risk of developing serious, life‐long health, behavioral, and emotional problems. They suffer from high rates of depression, substance abuse, and post‐traumatic stress disorder. They are often survivors of physical and sexual abuse. The longer they live on the streets, the more likely they are to fall victim to sexual exploitation and human trafficking. For all these reasons, programs that keep young people from being homeless - whether by providing preventive services or rapid, effective family reunification (if appropriate) or case management once youth are on the streets - are key components of the social safety net for our Nation's most vulnerable youth. Today, that safety net is woven by the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, most recently reauthorized by the Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act of 2008, and administered by the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) within the Administration for Children & Families of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Runaway and Homeless Youth Act authorizes the three Runaway and Homeless Youth Grant Programs that enable community‐based organizations and shelters in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories to serve and protect runaway, homeless, missing, and sexually exploited youth. These three programs are: The Basic Center Program, authorized under Part A, provides emergency shelter. The Transitional Living Program, authorized under Part B, offers longer‐term care that helps prepare older youth for self‐sufficiency and adulthood. The Street Outreach Program, authorized under Part E of the Act, makes contact with youth on the streets, with the goal of connecting them to services. Bolstering these frontline services is a network of support, including: A National Communications System, which serves as a national hotline connecting young people to programs, services, and transportation back home, authorized under Part C; and FYSB's coordinating, training, research, and other activities, which provide the means through which the federal government can continually refine and improve its response to youth homelessness as well as the ability of the youth‐services field to assist young people in need, authorized under Part D of the Act. To ensure that the local programs FYSB funds effectively meet the needs of runaway and homeless youth, the Runaway and Homeless Youth Program Monitoring System assesses each program's services. This report documents the ways that FYSB, continuing its longtime commitment to combating youth homelessness, worked to create a range of services available to young people across the Nation, so that they had somewhere to turn in fiscal years (FYs) 2012 and 2013. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2014. 78p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 18, 2014 at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/fysb/rhy_report_to_congress_fy1213.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/fysb/rhy_report_to_congress_fy1213.pdf Shelf Number: 133376 Keywords: Child ProtectionHomeless YouthHomelessnessRunaways (U.S.)Sexually Exploited Youth |
Author: Railway Children Title: Children and Young People Living on the Streets in Mwanza, Tanzania. Headcount Report Summary: This report contains the findings of a "headcount" of children and young people who work or live on the streets of Mwanza, Tanzania. The purpose of conducting this headcount was to establish the number of street-based children and young people so as to inform ongoing strategic responses for them by various stakeholders. Railway Children Africa, the key local agencies working with street children in Mwanza and the Social Welfare department make up the partnership "the Integrated Response for Street Children in Mwanza" which is behind this headcount survey. These different partner agencies have observed what appears to be a steady increase of children and young people on the streets, and the current survey attempts to provide valid data to test assumptions about this trend and create a baseline against which to measure changes in the numbers of children on the streets in future years. Periodically quantifying the street children population provides an opportunity to understand the magnitude of the issue and to call various stakeholders to action as they seek to address and support children and young people living alone on the streets. In this report, the data from the headcount exercise is presented and analysed with lessons learnt, conclusions, and recommendations for future work and data collection. We hope that the data will indicate areas that need to be improved and avenues for new directions for work with children living on the streets. Details: Sandbach, Cheshire, UK: Railway Children, 2012. 24p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 23, 2014 at: http://www.railwaychildren.org.uk/media/11743/mwanza-head-count-report-final.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Tanzania URL: http://www.railwaychildren.org.uk/media/11743/mwanza-head-count-report-final.pdf Shelf Number: 133393 Keywords: BeggingChild ProstitutionHomeless ChildrenHomelessnessSex WorkersStreet Children (Tanzania) |
Author: Kirkwood, Steve Title: Supported Accommodation Services for Offenders Summary: This paper examines the links between homelessness and offending and provides a description of supported accommodation services provided by Sacro for offenders in Scotland and a summary of some of the main findings from research on the impact of supported accommodation for offenders. Finally, the paper identifies a set of 'critical issues' for the consideration of practitioners that arise from the research and which may hinder the ability of the ex-offender to 'move on'. These critical issues are: the financial insecurity of many offenders; the relevance of family breakdown; multiple deprivation; over-dependence; the negative effects of hostel accommodation; and offender diversity. These issues highlight the need for more research to explore the short and long-term effectiveness of supported accommodation services in Scotland, taking into account different models of service provision, the individual circumstances of homeless ex-offenders and the social and economic contexts of their lives. Details: Edinburgh: University of Edinburgh, 2008. 13p. Source: Internet Resource: CJSWDC Briefing Papers, 11: Accessed September 24, 2014 at: http://www.research.ed.ac.uk/portal/files/9848060/KIRKWOOD_2008_supported_accomodation_services_for_offenders.pdf Year: 2008 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.research.ed.ac.uk/portal/files/9848060/KIRKWOOD_2008_supported_accomodation_services_for_offenders.pdf Shelf Number: 133407 Keywords: Ex-Offenders (U.K.)HomelessnessHousingPrisoner Reentry |
Author: Williams, Kim Title: Accommodation, homelessness and reoffending of prisoners: Results from the Surveying Prisoner Crime Reduction (SPCR) survey Summary: This report summarises the accommodation backgrounds and needs of newly sentenced prisoners, and the links between these and reoffending on release. Data for this report come from Surveying Prisoner Crime Reduction (SPCR) (a longitudinal cohort study of 1,435 adult prisoners sentenced to between one month and four years in prison in 2005 and 2006), the Police National Computer (PNC), and the 2003 general population survey - the Offending, Crime, and Justice Survey (OCJS). Details: London: Ministry of Justice, 2012. 6p. Source: Internet Resource: Research Summary 3/12: Accessed December 9, 2014 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/278806/homelessness-reoffending-prisoners.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/278806/homelessness-reoffending-prisoners.pdf Shelf Number: 130130 Keywords: HomelessnessHousingPrisoner Reentry (U.K.)Recidivism |
Author: Lurie, Kaya Title: Discrimination at the Margins: The Intersectionality of Homelessness & Other Marginalized Groups Summary: This brief addresses the intersectionality of homelessness and other marginalized groups. It examines six marginalized groups: racial minorities, women, individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, transgender, queer, or questioning (LGBTQ), individuals with a mental disability, incarcerated individuals, and veterans. The brief presents national and Washington State statistics to show how these six marginalized groups are represented in the homeless population compared to the general population. Moreover, it presents some of the causes of homelessness for these marginalized groups. This policy brief is particularly important to homeless rights advocacy because it humanizes the homeless population by outlining who is homeless and why. Categorizing a diverse group of people as "homeless" blanches this diversity by presenting these people as a homogenous group. Homogenizing the people who are homeless facilitates their dehumanization, erasing not only their diverse identities, but also obscuring the diverse causes of their homelessness. Homogenization also encourages erroneous negative stereotypes, assumptions, and prejudices. This brief unveils the diverse identities and causes of homelessness. This unveiling reveals that marginalized groups are disproportionately represented in the homeless population, and are therefore, disproportionately targeted by the ordinances that criminalize homelessness. Moreover, these criminalization laws are evidence of systemic and insidious discrimination of many marginalized groups. Because society has already rejected laws that discriminatorily target many of these same marginalized groups, the results of this study should compel society to re-examine the impact of laws that criminalize homelessness. Ultimately, this brief argues that laws that criminalize homelessness should be rejected because they are discriminatory. Details: Seattle, WA: Seattle University School of Law, Homeless Rights Advocacy Project, 2015. 75p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 19, 2015 at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2602532 Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2602532 Shelf Number: 135711 Keywords: CriminalizationDiscriminationHomeless PersonsHomelessnessPovertyPublic Space |
Author: Ortiz, Javier Title: The Wrong Side of History: A Comparison of Modern and Historical Criminalization Laws Summary: Like many other cities throughout the country, Washington's homeless population is being targeted through ordinances infused with a historical spirit of control and discrimination. The policy brief looks at the history of criminalization laws by focusing on historical criminalization laws and how they paved a way for current anti-homeless ordinances. The policy brief reveals that the spirit of historical criminalization laws is present in anti-homeless ordinances today. Since these historical laws have been repealed and overturned, so should anti-homeless ordinances that share the same spirit of control, exclusion, and discrimination. The brief focuses on five historical laws and modern anti-homeless ordinances through case studies: Vagrancy; Anti-Okie, Jim Crow, Ugly, and Sundown Town laws. Each section discusses the impetus for each law and the effect it had on targeted individuals. Next, the brief examines specific language from these laws and how they were applied - and ultimately, how they were overturned by judges, legislatures, and public opinion. The brief then shifts focus to three case studies of modern anti-homeless ordinances. This comparison reveals that modern anti-homeless ordinances share much of the same form, phrasing, and function as historical laws that banned African-Americans from attending public school with white Americans; that banned Midwesterners from entering Western states during the Great Depression; and that banned people with physical disabilities from residing in certain cities. And yet, anti-homeless ordinances are just contemporary expressions of the same impulse to marginalize already marginalized people. Ultimately, this brief shows that modern anti-homeless ordinances are just historically infamous laws in a new guise. Details: Seattle, WA: Seattle University School of Law, 2015. 39p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 26, 2015 at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2602533 Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2602533 Shelf Number: 135783 Keywords: CriminalizationHomeless PersonsHomelessnessPovertyPublic Space |
Author: Sarver, Christian M. Title: Evaluation of the Chronic Homeless Services and Housing (CHSH) Project Summary: National estimates indicate that 10-20% of all homeless individuals in the United States (U.S.) are chronically homeless (McCarty, 2005; United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, 2014). The 2013 Utah Homeless Point-In-Time Count identified 495 chronically homeless persons, comprising three percent of the total homeless population in the state (Wrathall, Day, Ferguson, Hernandez, Ainscough, Steadman, et al., 2013). Chronically homeless individuals often have a variety of health and social needs that must be addressed, in addition to housing, in order to improve their long-term outcomes. As part of the Point-in-Time Count/100,000 Homes Campaign, 678 homeless individuals were surveyed in Salt Lake County in January, 2013; of those, nearly half (42%) were classified as medically vulnerable, including 122 who had tri-morbid health or mental health conditions (Wrathall et al., 2013). Kraybill and Zerger (2003) found that at the service delivery level, the most effective programs for homeless persons emphasized the provision of integrated care through interdisciplinary teams typically made up of medical, mental health, substance use, and social service providers. In September of 2011, The Road Home received funding through a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grant to develop, implement, and evaluate the Chronic Homeless Services and Housing (CHSH) project over the course of a three year period. The CHSH project was designed to fill existing gaps by providing resources and building relationships at the point of client contact, utilizing an interdisciplinary outreach team to deliver services and staying close to the client at every point during the housing process. The goal of the CHSH project is to use a Housing First approach to stably house chronically homeless individuals who have been the most challenging to engage, have a history of substance abuse and/or mental illness, and who have never been housed or who have previous, unsuccessful housing placements. The Housing First model is defined as an intervention in which housing resources are provided with no requirement or contingencies (e.g., abstinence or employment). When compared to treatment first housing programs, Housing First programs, implemented with chronically homeless persons who have co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse, are associated with higher housing rates, increased residential stability, and fewer days of homelessness (Tsemberis, Gulcur, & Nakae, 2004; Padgett, Gulcur, & Tsemberis, 2006). The CHSH project is based on a Housing First philosophy implemented in the form of a modified Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team. This interdisciplinary service delivery model is intended to provide long-term, comprehensive medical, social, and mental health support to clients with severe mental illness in order to keep them housed and in the community. ACT teams meet daily to monitor client change and provide intensive and frequent outreach to clients (Tsembris, 2010). When compared to standard case management, chronically homeless adults with severe mental illness who receive ACT (or similar) services demonstrate better outcomes with respect to decreased homelessness, decreased severity of psychiatric symptoms, and higher self-reported quality of life (Coldwell & Bender, 2007; Gilmer, Stefancic, Eitner, Manning, & Tsembris, 2010). The combination of a Housing First philosophy and ACT-type service delivery for homeless persons who are mentally ill is associated with fewer days of homelessness and reduced contact with the criminal justice system and emergency medical services (Nelson, Aubry, & LaFrance, 2007) as well as increased residential stability and less depression and anxiety (Young, Barrett, Engelhardt, & Moore, 2014). The Road Home identified the Utah Criminal Justice Center (UCJC) as the evaluation partner of the CHSH project on the SAMHSA grant. The data collection, performance measurement, and performance assessment is comprised of two parts: (1) tracking the CHSH project's ongoing efforts to develop, expand, and implement collaborative, evidence-based services for the chronically homeless, and (2) tracking client characteristics, interventions, and outcomes. The first portion of the CHSH evaluation, addressing program implementation, has been documented extensively in previous reports (http://ucjc.utah.edu/homeless-2/chsh) and will not be discussed in the current report. The second part of the CHSH evaluation involves tracking client characteristics, interventions, and outcomes in order to answer the following research questions: 1. Who does the program serve? (Profile of clients, including demographics, homelessness, criminal history, substance abuse, mental health, treatment history, etc.) 2. What is CHSH providing to clients? (Profile of services utilized during CHSH participation, including housing, case management, substance abuse and mental health treatment, benefit enrollment (e.g., food stamps, general assistance) and support services) 3. Is CHSH succeeding? (Measures include: clients placed in housing, housing retention, enrollment in benefit programs, access to substance abuse and mental health treatment, use of emergency medical services, contact with the criminal justice system, etc.) 4. Who has the best outcomes in CHSH? (Analysis of client characteristics by program outcomes: housing placements and retention, substance abuse and mental health treatment, criminal justice contact, use of emergency medical services, etc.) 5. What barriers exist for clients who do not reach desired outcomes? (Profile of barriers that clients experience throughout enrollment in CHSH) Details: Salt Lake City: Utah Criminal Justice Center, University of Utah, 2014. 49p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 28, 2015 at: http://ucjc.utah.edu/wp-content/uploads/CHSH-Final-Report.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://ucjc.utah.edu/wp-content/uploads/CHSH-Final-Report.pdf Shelf Number: 135794 Keywords: Homeless PersonsHomelessnessHousing |
Author: Desai, Anita Title: Social Enterprise and Labour Market Integration for Individuals Exiting the Criminal Justice System: A Synthesis of Pilot Project Evaluations Summary: SLSC is pleased to present the Social Enterprise and Labour Market Integration for Individuals Exiting the Criminal Justice System: A Synthesis of Pilot Project Evaluations report. The objective of this report is to develop a synthesis of the findings of the 2013-14 evaluations of the five Federal Horizontal Pilot Projects (FHPPs) funded under the Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS) of Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). On April 1, 2007, the Government of Canada introduced the HPS-Xa strategy aimed at preventing and reducing homelessness in Canada. Recognizing that homelessness is a shared responsibility, the HPS works to enhance partnerships with provincial and territorial governments and a wide range of community stakeholders to find longer-term solutions to homelessness, strengthen community capacity and build sustainability. Through work with other federal departments and agencies, the HPS explores innovative ways to prevent and reduce homelessness. The five FHPPs mentioned in this report were developed in partnership with ESDC (under the HPS), Correctional Services Canada (CSC) and Public Safety Canada. These projects aimed to explore how social enterprises can contribute to labour market integration for individuals exiting the criminal justice system who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. For the purposes of this project, social enterprises are defined as businesses owned by non-profit organizations, that are directly involved in the production and/or selling of goods and services for the blended purpose of generating income and achieving social, cultural, and/or environmental aims. Social enterprises are one more tool for non-profits to use to meet their mission to contribute to healthy communities. This definition, from the Social Enterprise Council of Canada, supports the way in which SLSC has observed social enterprise throughout the course of this research. It maintains a focus on the key components of target populations and mission, and reflects a national organization that has undertaken efforts to support the growth of social enterprises in Canada. The synthesis leverages collective knowledge on promising practices on social enterprise, especially in terms of sustainability and effectiveness, and aims to serve as a reference guide to support the creation of social enterprises to prevent and reduce homelessness. The report consists of the following components: - A synthesis of five FHPP Evaluations that addresses: key successes/challenges; lessons learned; strategies employed; and future directions; - A summary of available literature that focuses on: impacts, outcomes, sustainability challenges, and risks in relation to social enterprise and how different sub-populations i.e. mental health, criminal justice, and homelessness intersect with these topics; - A comparative analysis of how the five FHPP organizations' experiences relate to the literature findings; and, - Concluding thoughts to support policy development and knowledge dissemination activities related to social enterprise. Details: Ottawa: St. Leonard's Society of Canada, 2015. 36p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 31, 2015 at: http://www.stleonards.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/SLSC_CDHPD_Social-enterprise-and-labour-market-integration-for-individuals-exiting-the-criminal-justice-system-a-synthesis-of-pilot-project-evaluations1.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Canada URL: http://www.stleonards.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/SLSC_CDHPD_Social-enterprise-and-labour-market-integration-for-individuals-exiting-the-criminal-justice-system-a-synthesis-of-pilot-project-evaluations1.pdf Shelf Number: 136636 Keywords: Ex-Offender EmploymentHomeless PersonsHomelessnessPrisoner ReentrySocial Enterprise |
Author: Shelter Scotland Title: Preventing Homelessness and Reducing Reoffending - Insights from service users of the Supporting Prisoners; Advice Network, Scotland Summary: This reports details the findings of in-depth interviews with 16 service users of the Supporting Prisoners; Advice Network about their experience of housing, homelessness and the strong link with re-offending. Key themes include: -The importance of house as home - Belongings being at risk -The importance of friends and family in helping to maintain a tenancy -The right home prevents reoffending -Fear of hostels -Stress and depression -Lack of knowledge -Communication with professionals The report makes strategic and operational recommendations based on the insights form our service users and Shelter Scotland's 15 year history of delivering specialist services to this group. Details: Edinburgh: Shelter Scotland, 2015. 24p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 24, 2015 at: http://scotland.shelter.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/1185787/Preventing_Homelessness_and_Reducing_Reoffending_092015_FINAL.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://scotland.shelter.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/1185787/Preventing_Homelessness_and_Reducing_Reoffending_092015_FINAL.pdf Shelf Number: 137329 Keywords: HomelessnessPrisoner ReentryRecidivismReoffending |
Author: Crellin, Richard Title: On your own now: the risks of unsuitable accommodation for older teenagers Summary: This report looks at the lives of 16 and 17 year olds who cannot live at home with their families and the risks they face when they are placed in accommodation provided by their local authority, intended to prepare them to live independently as adults. The report is based on an analysis of the sufficiency strategies of 102 local authorities, a survey with 118 providers of accommodation in 83 local authorities in England and focus groups with 11 young people who have experience of living in accommodation designed to prepare them for independence at the age of 16 or 17. The survey of accommodation providers included supported accommodation, foyers, supported lodgings, floating tenancy support and training flats. The findings focus on the risks these vulnerable young people face, the support they receive, how they are safeguarded, local authorities' forward planning when commissioning these types of services and critically how things change when they turn 18 and become independent adults. Case studies are included throughout. Risks identified included substance misuse, mental health and wellbeing, poverty, and eviction and unplanned moves. Local authorities failed to sufficiently plan accommodation for 16 to 17 year olds. Accommodation providers were unlikely to be integrated into local structures designed to safeguard children or staff employed often had no safeguarding qualifications. The report argues that the complex variety of different provisions for looking after these vulnerable young people combined with support, care and living arrangements that are not subject to enough scrutiny by the state have resulted in a situation which is damaging young people lives in ways that stay with them well into adult life. Details: London: The Children's Society, 2015. 64p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 13, 2016 at: http://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/sites/default/files/On%20your%20own%20now%20-%20Appendices.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/sites/default/files/On%20your%20own%20now%20-%20Appendices.pdf Shelf Number: 137569 Keywords: At-Risk YouthHomelessnessVulnerable YouthYoung Adults |
Author: Sandwith, Louise Title: 'Score, smoke, back on the beat': An exploration of the impact of homelessness on exiting street sex working in Manchester Summary: The purpose of this research was to explore how and why women get into sex work and the factors which lead them to continue. The research looked at the issues for women wanting to exit sex work - and considered, in particular, homelessness and how this impacts upon the choices available. The research was undertaken using qualitative methods comprising interviews with women working in the industry and with accommodation providers. Findings - The majority of the women interviewed became involved in sex work as teenagers to fund drug use or to escape poverty and were often introduced by another working woman. The majority had unsettled and damaging experiences as children such as being in care, parental neglect/violence or sexual abuse. - Drug use and sex work are closely inter-linked and all women confirmed they had sold sex to fund drug use at some point, if not throughout, their sex working 'career'. - Homelessness is a common experience for sex working women, in particular repeated homelessness. When women were sex working and homeless, this inevitably meant an increase in both drug use and sex working. - Many had spent time in custody. None of the women in adult prisons had their housing needs addressed on release and were often released to 'no fixed abode'. - Drug using sex workers need to be engaged in drug treatment but the women reported that they are unable to remain stable in treatment without suitable housing as keeping appointments was difficult when homeless. - Women felt judged and unsupported by some hostel staff. Staff from projects reported having no training around the issues and complexity of sex work. - Individuals from accommodation providers were knowledgeable and had a good understanding of the women's needs, but this was often down to their own experience and not as a result of any specific training. - A difficulty facing statutory accommodation providers is that of classing money earned from sex work as income and the consequences for housing benefit. - Most women wanting to exit sex work felt they needed suitable housing as well as drug treatment, but additionally required a source of income to alleviate poverty. Criminal records, lack of qualifications and work experience and poor health from long-term drug use all act as barriers to employment. Details: London: The Griffins Society, 2011. 52p. Source: Internet Resource: Research paper 2011/01: http://www.thegriffinssociety.org/system/files/papers/fullreport/research_paper_2011_01_sandwith.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.thegriffinssociety.org/system/files/papers/fullreport/research_paper_2011_01_sandwith.pdf Shelf Number: 129825 Keywords: HomelessnessProstitutesSex WorkersStreet Prostitution |
Author: Schaffner, Laurie Title: Experiences of Youth in the Sex Trade in Chicago: Issues in Youth Poverty and Homelessness Summary: This study of youth engaged in the sex trade in Chicago, Ill. included interviews with over 200 young people, ages 13-24. The sample was composed of a considerable number of males - 47%, the highest percentage of male interviewees from any of the sites in the larger study. An additional 11% were trans female. The research team divided the city into three distinct sections and recruited participants from those areas: Northside, which they found to be a relatively "safe" neighborhood for young, African-American trans females and gay males; Southside, whose interview participants tended to be networked to those on the Northside (despite notable differences in neighborhood context); and Westside, where the team found there to be more pimps and adults controlling and monitoring the streets. Details: New York: Center for Court Innovation, 2016. 53p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 11, 2016 at: http://www.courtinnovation.org/sites/default/files/documents/Chicago_0.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://www.courtinnovation.org/sites/default/files/documents/Chicago_0.pdf Shelf Number: 138996 Keywords: Homeless PersonsHomelessnessJuvenile ProstitutionJuvenile Sexual ExploitationPoverty |
Author: Friends International Title: Bangkok Street Children Profile Summary: Most beggars in Bangkok are not from Thailand. They are migrants from neighboring countries, such as Cambodia or Burma, who are drawn to the city's lucrative begging opportunities. These beggars must accept a high level of risk when they travel to Thailand; many are thrown in jail and then deported in a worse state than before. But the biggest issue arises when they bring their children to work on the streets with them. They are at risk of being abused and exploited, are often unhealthy and are in danger of being hit by cars or motorcycles. There are more than 20,000 street children in Thailand's major urban areas. In a single day, a child can earn 300 baht ($10) to 1,000 baht ($30) - much more than the amount a Cambodian or Burmese living in poverty makes back home. In Phnom Penh, for instance, scavenging rubbish all day will only earn a child 16 baht ($0.50). Cambodians make up around 80 percent of Thailand's child beggars. Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in the world and half of its population is children. Beggars who are from Thailand usually hail from the northeast Isan region, where 40 percent of the country's poor comes from. Their parents come to Bangkok to find work, usually as motorcycle taxi drivers or construction workers. When they have children, they realize they cannot afford to take care of them. Distrustful of the government-run orphanages, many simply abandon their children in the hands of babysitters, hoping they will find a home there. However, these children are often made to work on the streets to earn some money for their upkeep, according to chairwoman Darat Pitaksit of the Young Women's Christian Association (YMCA) in Bankok, an organization that works with underprivileged children. Because going to school is mandatory until the sixth grade, most Thai children manage to attend at least primary school. Secondary school attendance in Bangkok, however, drops by 20 percent. Despite it being the richest area of Thailand, rates of attendance are lower in Bangkok than anywhere else in the country because of the presence of migrant workers' children and the lifestyles they are made to lead. Contrary to common perception, these street children, both from Thailand and neighboring countries, do not fall into crime, drugs, or other illicit activity. "Thai children are raised to respect their elders," Pitaksit says. "In addition, the belief in karma helps them to be more accepting of their hardships in life." Similarly, Cambodian children would often rather beg on the streets than go to school, says Chantana Sueprom, a staff member of the UNICEF supported NGO Friends International. They feel it is their duty to help their parents earn money. Details: Phnom Penh, Cambodia: Friends-International, 2012. 27p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 13, 2016 at: http://www.admcf.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/BangkokStreetChildrenProfile2012.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Thailand URL: http://www.admcf.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/BangkokStreetChildrenProfile2012.pdf Shelf Number: 139423 Keywords: BeggingHomelessnessPovertyStreet Children |
Author: University of California School of Law - Berkeley. Policy Advocacy Clinic Title: California's New Vagrancy Laws: The Growing Enactment and Enforcement of Anti - Homeless Laws in the Golden State Summary: Executive Summary More than one in five people who are homeless in the United States live in California, and two - thirds of all people experiencing homelessness in California are unsheltered. Although homelessness exists statewide - exacerbated by decades of deep cuts to federal a nd state funding for affordable housing and by rising inequality - it is managed mostly at the local l evel. The state legislature has been slow to respond to this widespread problem, forcing municipal governments to address homelessness often with l imited resources. While some local governments have invested in social services, shelters , and supportive housing, cities have also responded by enacting and enforcing a wide range of anti - homeless laws - municipal codes that target or disproportionately impact people experiencing homelessness . Fortunately , t he conversation about homelessness has begun to shift in California. In the past year, San Francisco announced plans to create and fund a new Department on Homelessness and Supportive Housing. Oakland, Berkeley and San Jose each declared a shelter crisis . A nd Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti asked the Governor to declare a homeless state of emergency . 2 When Mayor Garcetti held a press conference on the city's homeless crisis in late 2015, Los Angeles Councilmember Jose Huizar explained : Unless we change our approach, this crisis will continue to worsen.... This approach to homelessness has failed. We can't ignore the problem, and we can't arrest our way out of it. W hile t his shift in rhetoric is a notable development, evidence suggests that California cities continue to pursue inhumane , ineffec tive , and costly policies that criminaliz e homeless people. This report update s our 2015 study on the enactment and enforcement of anti - homeless laws in California with new ordinance data from cities and updated arrest data from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program. We find that California cities are enact ing and enforc ing anti - homeless laws in record numbers. In contrast with historical post - recession trends , arrests of people who are homeless continue to rise in spite of an improving economy. Further, cities appear to be arresting people increasingly based on their homeless status as opposed t o any concrete unlawful behavior. Details: Berkeley, CA: Policy Advocacy Clinic, 2016. 13p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 3, 2016 at: http://wraphome.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/NVL-Update-2016_Final.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://wraphome.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/NVL-Update-2016_Final.pdf Shelf Number: 140147 Keywords: Homeless PersonsHomelessnessVagrancy LawsVagrants |
Author: Great Britain. HM Inspectorate of Probation Title: Accommodation of Homeless: 16 and 17 Year Old Children Working with Youth Offending Teams Summary: In 2009, the House of Lords gave a landmark judgment clarifying the responsibilities of children's social care services for the provision of accommodation and support to homeless 16 and 17 year olds. With the impetus of the Southwark judgment , local authorities reviewed their procedures and (alongside others) produced new protocols, guidance and pathways. The prospects for homeless 16 and 17 year olds were improved as it paved the way for better access to accommodation and support services because of the judgment and the commitments that flowed from it. Six years on, this inspection revealed a mixed picture on the ground. Most distressingly, one in three 16 and 17 years olds in our inspection were housed in accommodation we considered unsuitable or unsafe. We were particularly concerned about the risks those sharing hostel or bed and breakfast accommodation with adult strangers were exposed to. No one local authority suggested to us that these shortcomings were because of a lack of funding. They appeared to stem more immediately from poor or incomplete assessment, a lack of joined-up working and recognition of children's wider needs, and a tendency to place children as though they were adults. Our inspection found that the range of suitable accommodation provision was limited and this resulted in some children being placed in accommodation that did not meet their needs. The children whose cases were reviewed had all suffered some form of trauma in their lives. Most had been previously known to children's social care services and some were subject to care orders. . They often exhibited difficult behaviour. All of those whom inspectors saw were not yet capable of successful independence and still needed some form of parenting and support. Again, we found a mixed picture on the ground. A minority received excellent support, whereas too many had been given a roof over their heads with little other than a few hours a week support from visiting professionals. An important factor in the successful transition of children to independent adulthood was the continued provision of support when they reached 18 years old. This was not available to all children, the deciding factor being whether they had become Looked After under the Children Act 1989, giving them rights as care leavers to support beyond the age of 18 years. It is not known how many 16 and 17 year olds find themselves alone and relying on their local authority for accommodation to avoid homelessness. The data and information collected locally and collated nationally3 is not sufficiently comprehensive or joined-up. In our inspection of six local authorities we saw no evidence of Local Safeguarding Children Boards exercising any scrutiny of the local situation. What is more, in areas where there were shortfalls, senior managers seemed tolerant and accepting of the state of affairs. Refreshingly, we found examples of excellent practice, and we set out specific examples in this report. In summary, two in three children were in suitable accommodation; one in three was not. The wider support they received was of variable quality - sometimes excellent, in other cases woefully inadequate. These differences are hard to comprehend, given the clear intentions of the Southwark judgment. Details: London: The Inspectorate, 2016. 44p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 14, 2016 at: https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprobation/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2016/09/Thematic-Report-Accommodation-of-Homeless-16-and-17-Year-Old-Children.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprobation/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2016/09/Thematic-Report-Accommodation-of-Homeless-16-and-17-Year-Old-Children.pdf Shelf Number: 147846 Keywords: Homeless YouthHomelessnessJuvenile OffendersJuvenile ProbationSocial ServicesYouth Accommodation |
Author: Fernandes-Alcantara, Adrienne L. Title: Runaway and Homeless Youth: Demographics and Programs Summary: This report discusses runaway and homeless youth, and the federal response to support this population. There is no single definition of the terms "runaway youth" or "homeless youth." However, both groups of youth share the risk of not having adequate shelter and other provisions, and may engage in harmful behaviors while away from a permanent home. These two groups also include "thrownaway" youth who are asked to leave their homes, and may include other vulnerable youth populations, such as current and former foster youth and youth with mental health or other issues. The term "unaccompanied youth" encompasses both runaways and homeless youth, and is used in national data counts of the population. Youth most often cite family conflict as the major reason for their homelessness or episodes of running away. A youth's sexual orientation, sexual activity, pregnancy, school problems, and alcohol and drug use are strong predictors of family discord. The precise number of homeless and runaway youth is unknown due to their residential mobility and overlap among the populations. Determining the number of these youth is further complicated by the lack of a standardized methodology for counting the population and inconsistent definitions of what it means to be homeless or a runaway. Estimates of the homeless youth exceed 1 million. Estimates of runaway youth - including "thrownaway" youth (youth asked or forced to leave their homes)are between 1 million and 1.7 million in a given year. From the early 20th century through the 1960s, the needs of runaway and homeless youth were handled locally through the child welfare agency, juvenile justice courts, or both. The 1970s marked a shift toward federal oversight of programs that help youth who had run afoul of the law, including those who committed status offenses (i.e., running away). Congress passed the Runaway Youth Act of 1974 as Title III of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (P.L. 93-415) to assist runaways through services specifically for this population. The federal Runaway and Homeless Youth Program (RHYP) has since been expanded through reauthorization laws enacted approximately every five years since the 1970s, most recently by the Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act (P.L. 110-378) in 2008. Funding authorization expired in FY2013, and Congress has continued to appropriate funding for the act: $119.1 million was appropriated for FY2016. The Runaway and Homeless Youth program is made up of three components: the Basic Center Program (BCP), Transitional Living Program (TLP), and Street Outreach Program (SOP). The Basic Center Program provides temporary shelter, counseling, and after care services to runaway and homeless youth under age 18 and their families. The BCP has served approximately 31,000 to 36,000 annually in recent years. The Transitional Living Program is targeted to older youth ages 16 through 22 (and sometimes an older age), and has served approximately 3,000 to 3,500 youth annually in recent years. Youth who use the TLP receive longer-term housing with supportive services. The SOP provides education, treatment, counseling, and referrals for runaway, homeless, and street youth who have been subjected to or are at risk of being subjected to sexual abuse, sex exploitation, and trafficking. Each year, the SOP makes hundreds of thousands of contacts with street youth (some of whom have multiple contacts). Related services authorized by the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act include a national communication system to facilitate communication between service providers, runaway youth, and their families; training and technical support for grantees; and evaluations of the programs, among other activities. The 2008 reauthorizing legislation expanded the program, requiring HHS to conduct an incidence and prevalence study of runaway and homeless youth. To date, this study has not been conducted; however, efforts are underway among multiple federal agencies to collect better information on these youth as part of a larger strategy to end youth homelessness by 2020. Details: Washington, DC: Congressional Research Services, 2016. 40p. Source: Internet Resource: CRS Report RL33785: Accessed September 26, 2016 at: https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL33785.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL33785.pdf Shelf Number: 146141 Keywords: Homeless PersonsHomeless YouthHomelessnessRunawaysStatus Offenders |
Author: Prison Reform Trust Title: Home truths: housing for women in the criminal justice system Summary: The failure to solve a chronic shortage of suitable housing options for women who offend leads to more crime, more victims and more unnecessary and costly imprisonment. Safe, secure housing is crucial in breaking that cycle and the harm it causes to our communities, to the women involved and to their families. Many women lose their homes while in custody and 60% of women prisoners may not have homes to go to on release. - Because women are often imprisoned further from their homes than men, they can have more difficulty in retaining a 'local connection', which is a common precondition for local authority housing. - A lack of appropriate and safe accommodation increases the risk of (re)offending - without stable housing it is harder to engage in employment and training, or to access support services. - Hostel accommodation may expose women to potentially risky situations. - Suitable accommodation options for women, especially those with children or those affected by substance misuse, mental health problems, or domestic abuse are in short supply. Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic women are over-represented in prison, and face additional barriers to housing. - There is a lack of clarity and consistency about responsibility for the housing of women offenders. - Women in prison need more timely advice about their housing options and support to sustain tenancies or apply for housing. - Communication, cooperation and joined up working between prison authorities, probation services, housing providers, and local authorities needs to be urgently improved. Details: London: PRT, 2016. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 27, 2016 at: http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/Portals/0/Documents/Home%20Truths.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/Portals/0/Documents/Home%20Truths.pdf Shelf Number: 146149 Keywords: Female OffendersHomelessnessHousingPrisoner Reentry |
Author: Stoops, Michael, ed. Title: Vulnerable to Hate: A survey of hate crimes and violence committed against homeless people in 2013 Summary: In the past 15 years (1999-2013), the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) has documented 1,437 acts of violence against homeless individuals by housed perpetrators. These crimes are believed to have been motivated by the perpetrators' biases against homeless individuals or by their ability to target homeless people with relative ease. VULNERABLE TO HATE: A Survey of Hate Crimes Committed against the Homeless in 2013 is the 15th annual report documenting violence against people experiencing homelessness, including an array of atrocities from murder to beatings, rapes, and even mutilation. NCH found startling data in the number and severity of attacks. However, the reports also acknowledge that, since the homeless community is treated so poorly in our society, many more attacks go unreported. Hate crimes against the homeless community are part of an issue that is in growing need of public attention. Over the last 15 years, NCH has determined the following: • 1,437 reported acts of violence have been committed against homeless individuals • 375 of the victims have lost their lives as a result of the attacks • Reported violence has occurred in 47 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, DC • Perpetrators of these attacks were generally male and under the age 30; most commonly they were teenage boys. Specifically, in 2013: • 85% of all perpetrators were under the age of 30 • 93% of all perpetrators were male • 65% of all victims were 40 years old or older • 90% of all victims were male • 18% of the attacks resulted in death VULNERABLE TO HATE: A Survey of Hate Crimes Committed against the Homeless in 2013 documents the known cases of violence against individuals experiencing homelessness by housed individuals in 2013. The report includes descriptions of the cases, current and pending legislation that would help protect homeless people, and recommendations for advocates to help prevent violence against homeless individuals. Details: Washington, DC: National Coalition for the Homeless, 2014. 56p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 1, 2016 at: http://nationalhomeless.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Hate-Crimes-2013-1.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://nationalhomeless.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Hate-Crimes-2013-1.pdf Shelf Number: 145783 Keywords: Bias-Related CrimesHate CrimesHomeless PersonsHomelessness |
Author: Frankel, Allison Title: "Forced into breaking the Law": The Criminalization of Homelessness in Connecticut Summary: The report examines how Connecticut’s homeless residents face the threat of criminal sanctions for simply existing. The report also documents how Connecticut city ordinances, such as those prohibiting loitering, panhandling, and sleeping in public, punish people for performing necessary, life-sustaining functions, which effectively criminalizes homelessness itself. It further outlines how the criminalization of homelessness violates state, federal, and international law. The release of the report coincides with National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week and the launch of the national "Housing Not Handcuffs" campaign, organized by National Coalition for the Homeless and the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, which aims to end the criminalization of homelessness. The criminal justice system often escalates and results in a downward spiral, students said. If people are too poor to pay their fine, they must contest the ticket in court. But those interviewed for the report faced high barriers to showing up on their court date. For instance, many people never received notice of their court dates because they did not have an address or lacked transportation to get to court. Failure to pay the fine or go to court can result in arrest and incarceration, making it even more difficult to obtain housing and employment. In this way, the criminalization of homelessness further entrenches a cycle of homelessness, poverty, and criminalization, the report argues. Details: New Haven, CT: Allard K. Lowenstein International Human Rights Clinic at Yale Law School, 2016. 70p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 21, 2016 at: https://www.law.yale.edu/system/files/documents/pdf/news/criminalization_of_homelessness_report_for_web_full_report.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://www.law.yale.edu/system/files/documents/pdf/news/criminalization_of_homelessness_report_for_web_full_report.pdf Shelf Number: 140217 Keywords: Homeless PersonsHomelessnessLoiteringPanhandlingVagrancy LawVagrants |
Author: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Title: Vulnerable Young People: Interactions across homelessness, youth justice and child protection Summary: This report reveals that individuals who experience multiple, cross-sector services in the specialist homelessness, protection or youth justice service areas are a particularly vulnerable group. Clients experiencing 2 or more of these services were more likely than specialist homelessness services-only clients: to report having substance use issues; to report having mental health issues; to have an over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people; and to receive more days of support and more support periods from specialist homelessness services agencies. Details: Canberra: AIHW, 2016. 68p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 13, 2016 at: http://www.aihw.gov.au/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=60129557799 Year: 2016 Country: Australia URL: http://www.aihw.gov.au/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=60129557799 Shelf Number: 146102 Keywords: At-Risk YouthChild ProtectionDisadvantaged YouthHomeless YouthHomelessnessMental Health ServicesMentally Ill Persons |
Author: Mungin, Douglas Title: There's a Skid Row Everywhere and This is Just the Headquarters: Impacts of Urban Revitalization Policies in the Homeless Community of Skid Row Summary: This dissertation tracks the historical shift from containment strategies for managing homeless populations in Skid Row to current strategies of using police and the penal system to periodically sweep the street of these unwanted bodies. This shift hinges on the construction of homelessness as a crisis requiring immediate and ongoing intervention. First, the state produces and reproduces homelessness as a state of crisis by withdrawing or denying support and public services and disallowing alternative, subsistence modes of survival. Then, it issues the performative utterance of the area as unclean or unsanitary. Developers and city officials mobilize the police to erase a visible presence of homeless bodies from the area. The "crisis" of homelessness, variously constructed as an issue of urban aesthetics, public health, and crime, enables public policy to be made on the fly. These policies have uniformly favored economic development at the expense of the needs of homeless persons and communities. The performative state needs the homeless to legitimate state intervention on behalf of developers. In this dissertation, I demonstrate how the racialized rhetorics of thanatology and revitalization have been used to construct homelessness as a crisis for the city in a manner that positions the homeless as threats to the life of the city. According to this rhetoric, it is cities that have economic vitality worth protecting and homeless people who act as an unwanted and degenerate economic species threatening their financial fitness, health, and well-being. I argue that the performative state produces homelessness as a material state of crisis and rhetorically constructs homelessness as a crisis legitimating intervention on the part of the state. The dissertation is organized according to the various ways in which homelessness has been constructed as a crisis warranting intervention: urban aesthetics, homelessness and practices of poverty as an eyesore (Chapter 2), public safety and crime prevention à la the broken windows theory (Chapter 3), and the economic vitality of the international city (Chapter 4). This dissertation seeks to explore the stakes across various constructions of the existence of the homeless population and their practices of poverty. Details: Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University, 2016. 250p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed March 7, 2017 at: http://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2692&context=gradschool_dissertations Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2692&context=gradschool_dissertations Shelf Number: 141370 Keywords: Homeless PersonsHomelessnessPovertySkid RowUrban Areas and Crime |
Author: Murphy, Laura T. Title: Labor and Sex Trafficking Among Homeless Youth: A Ten-City Study Summary: Human trafficking - the exploitation of a person's labor through force, fraud, or coercion - is a crime whose victims tend to be society's most vulnerable. People who are homeless, lack a support system, or are desperate for work are susceptible to the promises of people who would exploit them for labor and for sex. Recently, homeless youth providers in the United States and Canada have become aware that their clients are particularly at risk of trafficking and research has begun to uncover the extent and contours of the problem within that community. Between February 2014 and June 2016, researchers from Loyola University New Orleans's Modern Slavery Research Project (MSRP) were invited by Covenant House International and ten of their individual sites in the United States and Canada to serve as external experts to study the prevalence and nature of human trafficking among homeless youth aged 17 to 25. MSRP researchers interviewed 641 homeless and runaway youth who access services through Covenant House's network of shelters, transitional living and apartment programs, and drop-in centers. Youth were invited to participate, on a voluntary basis, in a point-in-time study about work experience. Semi-structured interviews were conducted using the Human Trafficking Interview and Assessment Measure (HTIAM-14) to assess whether youth had been trafficked for sex or labor in their lifetimes. Details: New Orleans: Loyola University New Orleans, 2017. 48p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 31, 2017 at: http://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/73f135_ca561f855f2b47519683ccf342074d6d.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: http://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/73f135_ca561f855f2b47519683ccf342074d6d.pdf Shelf Number: 146624 Keywords: Forced LaborHomeless PersonsHomelessnessHuman TraffickingModern SlaverySex Trafficking |
Author: Texas Appleseed Title: Young, Alone, and Homeless in the Lone Star State: Policy Solutions to End Youth Homelessness in Texas Summary: Texas Appleseed became interested in systemic problems that fuel youth homelessness as a result of its work on other child- and youth-focused projects. We frequently saw children and young people whose juvenile justice involvement or problems at school were the result of homelessness or housing instability. We met former foster youth who reported that they were inadequately prepared for adulthood when they aged out and, consequently, ended up on the streets for some period of time. And our fair housing work has revealed to us the difficulties that communities and families across the state struggle with caused by the lack of affordable and safe housing. Our interest led to a partnership with the Texas Network of Youth Services (TNOYS), an organization that also has a long history of advocating for young people in Texas. Their membership of service providers and partnership with the state on Youth Count Texas!, a statewide look at youth homelessness mandated by the 84th Texas Legislature, make them experts in the issue. In the summer of 2016, Texas Appleseed and TNOYS began our research for this report, assisted by pro bono partners Vinson & Elkins LLP. Our research included: - Over 100 interviews with young people who had experienced or were experiencing homelessness in Texas. - More than 50 interviews conducted by Vinson & Elkins' team of pro bono volunteers with school homeless liaisons, juvenile justice stakeholders, members of law enforcement, foster care stakeholders, and service providers. - Data requests to Texas agencies that serve youth or touch on issues related to youth homelessness. - Research around existing programs and best practices. What we discovered over the course of this research is that the issue of youth homelessness is one that is called by different names depending on the system the youth touches. If a Texas youth is on the street, is picked up by law enforcement, and is under the age of 17, she is a "runaway," a status offender who is referred to the juvenile justice system for rehabilitation. If the youth instead appears in a shelter and the shelter contacts the child welfare system, she may be deemed a victim of abuse or neglect and placed in the foster care system for protection. Thus the same youth, depending on which system she encounters first, is either a victim or an offender. If a young person is not living on the street but is "doubled up" and living with friends or relatives, whether or not she is deemed homeless depends on which system of services she tries to access. Her school would count her as homeless, entitling her to educational services and protections, but the community organization her school might refer her to for services may not, making her ineligible for their help. The same youth is in one setting "homeless" and in another is not. This is perhaps one of the clearest findings from the hours of interviews, data analysis, and exhaustive research flowing from this report: A disjointed policy and funding approach to youth who are without a home results in disjointed services. Reducing or resolving the issue of youth homelessness and improving outcomes for young people is going to require a cohesive approach that brings all child-serving systems together to provide a full continuum of services. Finding solutions is critical. Research shows that young people who encounter homelessness are at high risk of poor outcomes, including: - Educational failure. Youth experiencing homelessness are more likely to be retained a grade or drop out altogether. - Juvenile or criminal justice contact. Criminalization of homelessness and survival behavior may lead to justice system contact, which heightens the risk for ongoing homelessness. - Victimization. Youth experiencing homelessness are at high risk for becoming victims of crime, including human trafficking. - Health and mental health problems. The goal of this report is to identify multi-system policy solutions that could prevent youth homelessness or provide better interventions to ensure youth who encounter homelessness get back on their feet quickly. We hope to shed light on what C.F. asked us to consider: how policymakers and stakeholders, understanding the reality that homelessness could happen to any one of us, can better open ourselves to compassionate, caring responses that are not only better for young people but better for our communities as a whole. Details: Austin, TX: Texas Appleseed and Texas Network of Youth Services, 2017. 186p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 17, 2017 at: https://www.texasappleseed.org/sites/default/files/YoungAloneHomeless_FullReport_fin.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://www.texasappleseed.org/sites/default/files/YoungAloneHomeless_FullReport_fin.pdf Shelf Number: 148501 Keywords: At-Risk YouthHomeless PersonsHomelessnessRunawaysStatus Offenders |
Author: Johnsen, Sarah Title: The reconnection of rough sleepers within the UK: an evaluation Summary: Key points - Reconnection, defined in policy as 'the process by which people sleeping rough who have a connection to another area ... are supported to return to this area in a planned way' has become an increasingly prevalent feature of rough sleeping strategies in England in recent years, albeit largely in the absence of robust evidence regarding the impacts on rough sleepers. Evidence regarding reconnection outcomes is, at present, very weak. - Inter-city reconnections, that is, the reconnection of British nationals from one urban centre to another within the UK, comprise the majority of reconnections from some areas. In London, these are outnumbered by international reconnections (involving moves abroad) and intra-city reconnections (from one borough to another). This study focused on within-UK (inter-city and intra-city) reconnections only. - Reconnection is an umbrella term used to refer to a wide range of approaches, including: 'reconnection (proper)' which supports rough sleepers to return to somewhere they have an established link; 'diversion' which supports them to access services somewhere else where they do not have a connection; and 'deflection' wherein they are advised to return 'home' but are not provided with support to do so. - National guidance outlining agreed good practice exists, but implementation often deviates from this quite substantially. Resource and time pressures dictate that assessments of rough sleepers' connections and support needs are often extremely limited. Furthermore, support is in some cases intensive and tailored; but in the greater majority of cases is minimal. - In practice, connections are almost always assessed in terms of the Homelessness Code of Guidance for Local Authorities 'local connection' criteria. In some places, the last place of settled residence (where someone has lived for six out of the last 12 months or three out of the last five years) is regarded as 'trumps' and other criteria have little influence; in others weighting is given to other forms of local connection (e.g. having adult family members living in the area). - Outcomes are only recorded in a small minority of cases. The limited data available suggest that reconnection experiences and outcomes vary dramatically, from positive (e.g. accessing accommodation and re-engaging with support services) to negative (e.g. sleeping rough in the recipient area because the services offered are of poor quality or time limited). - Practitioners generally agree that reconnection is wholly appropriate and potentially beneficial in some circumstances, most notably where rough sleepers have made an unplanned move and abandoned 'live' supportive connections or services in so doing. Positive outcomes are more likely when good practice principles are adhered to, but are by no means guaranteed. - The limits and risks associated with reconnection raise significant ethical questions, especially as regards: denial of services to rough sleepers with no recognised local connection anywhere in the UK; uncertainty regarding the legitimacy and/or severity of risk to rough sleepers in recipient areas (especially when no proof in the form of police records exist); inadequate service responses in some recipient areas; and the fragility or lack of support networks in recipient areas. - These ethical dilemmas are most acute when reconnection is employed as a 'single service offer', wherein rough sleepers who refuse to comply are denied access to homelessness services in the identifying area. - These issues are profoundly important given indications that some local authorities are beginning to regard all single homeless people (not just rough sleepers) as potential reconnection cases and/or are tightening local connection criteria. If such trends are indicative of a more widespread 'raising of drawbridges' under localism it may become increasingly difficult for single homeless people to provide evidence of connections and access services. Details: London: Crisis, 2015. 88p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 19, 2018 at: https://www.crisis.org.uk/media/237144/the_reconnection_of_rough_sleepers_within_the_uk_an-_evaluation_2015.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.crisis.org.uk/media/237144/the_reconnection_of_rough_sleepers_within_the_uk_an-_evaluation_2015.pdf Shelf Number: 149510 Keywords: Anti-Social Behavior Homeless Persons Homelessness Nuisance Behaviors and DisorderRough Sleepers |
Author: Worwood, Erin B. Title: Evaluation of the Homeless Outreach Service Team (HOST) Program Summary: According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 610,042 people were homeless in the United States on a single night in January 2013 (HUD 2013). In Utah, state officials estimate that 15,093 individuals were homeless in January 2013, a 9.5 percent decrease from the previous year (Wrathall et al. 2013). When individuals experiencing homelessness lack the resources to gain adequate housing and key behavioral and support systems, they occupy public places that often create conflict with other community members. Communities may perceive homeless individuals to be a threat to community safety or a disruption to the functioning of businesses and public spaces. As a result, many communities have turned to their local law enforcement agencies and criminal justice systems to address these issues (NCH and NLCHP 2006). Law enforcement policies typically respond to such problems by restricting where homeless individuals can congregate and issuing citations for misdemeanor offenses and infractions that are specific to their status as homeless (e.g., public intoxication, urination in public, open container, trespassing, jaywalking) (American Bar Association 2006; U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness 2012; NCH and NLCHP 2006). The homeless gain entry into the criminal justice system when they are cited for misdemeanor offenses or infractions, fail to appear in court, or are booked into the jail on a court-ordered warrant (J. Baxter, pers. comm., September 10, 2012). Unfortunately, reliance on the criminal justice system as a means of managing homeless populations places an expensive burden on a system that is not equipped to address the underlying issues contributing to homelessness (Roman and Travis 2004). Salt Lake City's Homeless Outreach Service Team (HOST) program was developed in April 2011 as a collaborative effort between law enforcement and homeless service providers to disrupt this cycle and address the underlying issues of homelessness (M. Ross, pers. comm., October 2, 2012). The original purpose of the HOST program was to bring Salt Lake City police officers and community outreach workers together to identify homeless individuals who frequently panhandle or engage in other types of public nuisance activities in downtown Salt Lake City and to connect them to community resources. The main objectives of this program were to (1) encourage police to make referrals to services rather than issue citations to the homeless and (2) decrease the prevalence of panhandling by encouraging the public to give money to homeless service providers rather than directly to panhandlers. In 2012, the Salt Lake City (Utah) Police Department (SLCPD) received an award from the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) to expand the HOST program. The goals of the COPS Office HOST award were to fund a public awareness campaign, coordinate strategic planning efforts, and recruit and train formerly homeless individuals as volunteers to assist with outreach efforts. Salt Lake City has contracted with the Utah Criminal Justice Center (UCJC) to examine the impact of the award on services offered and the perceptions, roles, and responsibilities of personnel and key stakeholders involved with the HOST program. This report covers the three primary components of the HOST program: donations to homeless service providers, the homeless support group, and collaborative street outreach. Details: Washington, DC: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, 2016. 52p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 27, 2018 at: https://ric-zai-inc.com/Publications/cops-w0814-pub.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://ric-zai-inc.com/Publications/cops-w0814-pub.pdf Shelf Number: 149588 Keywords: Anti-Social behaviorCollaborationHomeless PersonsHomelessnessOutreach ServicesPanhandling |
Author: MacDonald, Sue-Ann Title: Mental Health Courts: Processes, Outcomes and Impact on Homelessness Summary: MacDonald et al. examined the impact of a Mental Health Court (MHC) on preventing and reducing homelessness for those with mental health issues. In particular, using the MHC in Montreal as a case study, which is officially known as the Programme d'accompagnement Justice - Sante mentale (PAJ-SM), the project provided a profile of participants and assessed how the court functions to address their mental health and homelessness challenges. Despite the growing interest in adopting mental health courts, there are relatively few studies conducted on the topic. The report provides an opportunity to fill that knowledge gap and provides information to support the adoption of promising practices by MHCs across Canada. Details: Montreal: University of Montreal, 2014. 57p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 28, 2018 at: http://www.homelesshub.ca/sites/default/files/HKDFinalReport_2014.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Canada URL: http://www.homelesshub.ca/sites/default/files/HKDFinalReport_2014.pdf Shelf Number: 149598 Keywords: Homeless PersonsHomelessnessMental Health CourtsMental Health TreatmentMentally Ill OffendersProblem-Solving Courts |
Author: Ruan, Nantiya Title: Too High a Price: What Criminalizing Homelessness Costs Colorado Summary: Like most of America, Colorado faces a homeless epidemic. Amidst a stark rise in housing costs and equally sharp drop in available affordable housing, Colorado's cities struggle to address the overwhelming needs of its homeless residents. While professing a dedication to eliminating homelessness through homeless and poverty services, state actors continue to write, pass, and enforce local ordinances that criminalize life-sustaining behaviors. Laws that criminalize panhandling, begging, camping, sitting or lying in public, and vagrancy target and disproportionately impact residents that are homeless for activities they must perform in the course of daily living. This Report examines how laws criminalizing homeless people for being homeless have become widespread in Colorado. Through a comprehensive analysis of the enforcement of anti-homeless laws, this Report also examines the cost-economic and social-anti-homeless laws impose upon all Colorado citizens. In the process of examining trends across branches of government and across the state, we found similarities between the constitutional challenges to anti-homeless laws and other discriminatory legal frameworks that criminalized people for their identities or statuses. Ordinances punishing people without homes for behaviors necessary to their daily lived existence will soon become another chapter in a shameful history of invalidated laws, such as Anti-Okie Laws, Jim Crow Laws, "Ugly Laws," and Sundown Laws. Federal courts have begun to recognize the dubious constitutionality of anti-homeless laws, and, in turn, municipalities like Denver and Boulder have begun re-examining how they enforce anti-homeless ordinances. But the data still reveal a trend: a startling high number of ordinances enforced at an alarming rate which comes with a high price tag for Colorado. To analyze statewide trends, we identified 76 cities in Colorado based on population and geographic diversity, which represent roughly 70% of the state's population. We surveyed these 76 municipal codes and identified numerous anti-homeless ordinances that target those without homes, such as: sitting, sleeping, lying, or storing belongings in public prohibitions; restrictions on begging or panhandling; camping bans; loitering and vagrancy prohibitions; and trespass, park closure, and sanitation laws. Based on this research, we have come to following conclusions: - Colorado's 76 largest cities have 351 anti-homeless ordinances; - Cities criminalize homelessness in a variety of ways; - Adopted ordinances inspire similar ordinances in other municipalities; and - Ordinances lack clarity and obstruct government transparency and accountability From the 76 surveyed cities, we selected 23 cities for more in-depth research using Open Records Requests to examine how anti-homeless ordinances are enforced. We found: - Cities issue citations to homeless residents at a staggering rate. For example, 30% of all citations that Grand Junction issued are pursuant to an anti-homeless ordinance. Fort Collins issues citations to homeless individuals at the rate of two citations per homeless resident per year. Colorado Springs has doubled the rate at which they enforce anti-homeless ordinances between 2010 and 2014. - Many cities aggressively target homeless residents for panhandling and for trespassing. Fewer than half of the cities surveyed have restrictions on begging or panhandling, yet Denver arrested nearly 300 homeless individuals in 2014 for panhandling. Between 2013 and 2014, Denver issued over 2,000 trespass citations to homeless individuals. This represents more than half of all trespass citations in the city even though homeless residents are only 0.05% of the population. - Some cities use camping bans to target homeless residents. Boulder stands out in issuing camping ban citations by issuing 1,767 between 2010 and 2014-as compared with Denver, which issued fifteen in the same time frame, or Durango, which issued zero. Boulder issued camping ban citations at a rate of two citations per homeless resident. Eighty-seven percent of Boulder's camping citations were issued to homeless residents. - Several cities fail to track how anti-homeless citations are enforced against individuals who are homeless-this includes Durango, Pueblo, Colorado Springs, and Aurora. Because most cities also do not track "move on" orders, the data provided by the cities do not address how these widely used policing tactics impact homeless residents' lives. - Cities do not provide sufficient services for their homeless populations. For example, Fort Collins provides 118 shelter beds for over 400 homeless residents. On its best night, Boulder provides 280 beds for 440 homeless residents. Some cities, like Grand Junction, have limited services and publicize their attempts to deter people who are homeless from coming to their city. A major contribution of Too High A Price is that it comprehensively analyzes the cost of anti-homeless ordinances by calculating the cost of policing, adjudication, and incarceration. By studying the enforcement of five anti-homeless ordinances in Denver, we found that in 2014 alone, Denver spent nearly three-quarters of a million dollars ($750,000.00) enforcing these ordinances. We estimate that just six Colorado cities spent a minimum of five million dollars ($5,000,000.00) enforcing fourteen anti-homeless ordinances over a five-year period. For reasons discussed in the report, this number is significantly under-inclusive. Reducing or eliminating anti-homeless ordinances would achieve governmental goals of reducing ineffective spending; expanding efficient homelessness services and prevention; and reducing collateral consequences and implicit social costs associated with criminalizing homelessness. Too High A Price also includes seven separate City Spotlight Reports that takes a deeper dive into the criminalization of homelessness in the cities of Denver, Boulder, Colorado Springs, Durango, Fort Collins, Grand Junction, and Pueblo. With these case studies, this Report also shows that judicial action alone is not enough to stop the unconstitutional criminalization of homeless people. Despite recent court decisions invalidating panhandling ordinances as unconstitutional, Colorado cities enforce other more facially-neutral ordinances in a way that disparately impacts homeless people. Because so many cities have such ordinances, the Colorado state legislature must step in and enact legislation that establishes affirmative rights for homeless individuals at the state level. The Right to Rest Act, Colorado House Bill HB-16-1191, introduced by Representatives Salazar and Melton in February 2016, will help combat the disparate impact of these ordinances in Colorado's communities. Details: Denver: University of Denver Sturm College of Law, 2016. 60p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 9, 2018 at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3169929 Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3169929 Shelf Number: 150125 Keywords: BeggingHomeless PersonsHomelessnessLoiteringPanhandlingVagrants |
Author: Ruan, Nantiya Title: Too High a Price 2: Move on to Where? Summary: Over two years have passed since the University of Denver Sturm College of Law's Homeless Advocacy Policy Project released its report, Too High a Price, detailing the tremendous expenditures Colorado cities make in an effort to criminalize homelessness. As Colorado housing costs continue to skyrocket, its homeless epidemic has grown as well. Unfortunately, state actors continue to write, pass, and enforce ordinances that criminalize some of our most basic, life-sustaining activities. Laws such as camping, sitting or lying in public, begging, and loitering disproportionately target behaviors associated with homelessness, leaving one of the state's most vulnerable populations living in fear. As a follow-up to Too High a Price, this Report details the increased efforts to criminalize homelessness in the state of Colorado. Through an examination of three of Colorado's most prominent cities, Denver, Boulder, and Colorado Springs, this Report highlights the stark rise in enforcement of anti-homeless laws, and the disproportionate and inhumane impact they have on the day-to-day lives of people experiencing homelessness. In the process of examining Colorado's ever-increasing criminalization of homelessness, we found that law enforcement frequently issues "move-on" orders to remove visible poverty from its city streets. A move-on order, also referred to as a police "street check," is a law enforcement technique used to further enforce certain ordinances, including camping bans. In lieu of issuing a citation or making an arrest, officers are directed to instruct homeless individuals, upon contact, to pack up their belongings and "move on" to somewhere else. At first glance, these move-on orders may seem like a viable alternative to outright issuing citations. However, with the extreme decline in affordable housing and the lack of emergency shelter space to accommodate Colorado's growing homeless population, these move-on orders leave homeless people with nowhere to go. Instead, they are merely pushed from one place to the next. To analyze the trends of criminalization of homelessness, we utilized Open Records Requests to obtain data detailing the enforcement of anti-homeless laws in Colorado Springs, Denver, and Boulder. This data revealed that Colorado cities have increased enforcement more than we anticipated. Furthermore, we researched the adverse effects move-on orders have on homeless populations. Based on this research and data, we came to the following conclusions: - The overall number of anti-homelessness ordinances has increased. Between Denver, Colorado Springs, and Boulder, there are at least thirty-seven ordinances that criminalize behaviors associated with people experiencing homelessness. Since Too High a Price was first released, Colorado Springs has added one new anti-homeless ordinance and Denver Law students found four additional ordinances in Denver. - Colorado Springs and Boulder have increased the number of citations issued under camping bans. In 2017, Boulder issued 376 citations under its camping ban ordinance. Of those 376 citations, an incredible 81.9% were issued to homeless individuals. Additionally, Colorado Springs increased its enforcement of its two camping bans by a staggering 545% over the span of three years. - Denver's use of move-on orders has skyrocketed at an alarming rate. In 2016 alone, Denver law enforcement made contact with over 5,000 people in move-on encounters. Denver police increased its contact with homeless individuals through the use of street checks by 475% in the span of three years. - The number of emergency shelter beds cannot accommodate Colorado's homeless population. In all three cities we surveyed, none provide enough beds to meet the needs of its homeless populations. In Colorado Springs, the number of year-round shelter space can only accommodate 38% of El Paso County's homeless population. Boulder has even fewer resources, with only enough beds for roughly 25% of its homeless population. Denver doesn't fare better, with the 2017 Point-in-Time count indicating that on a given night, nearly 1,000 homeless people sleep on the streets. - Move-on orders have overwhelming collateral consequences on homeless populations. The use of move-on orders has grave consequences on people experiencing homeless, including: pushing people to dangerous areas, pushing people farther away from vital resources, and causing adverse health effects. As homeless people are forced into the shadows, extremely harmful consequences usually follow. Beyond the lack of shelter space and affordable housing, and how criminalization makes homelessness harder to escape, the larger issue is this: why are we so uncomfortable with facing homelessness? Our parks are for everyone. Our streets are for public use. Our free speech rights allow for all citizens to ask for what they may need. We should not view visible poverty as something to be avoided at all costs-especially if that cost results in further degradation and ostracism. Despite some city officials acknowledging that issuing citations does nothing to solve the homeless crisis, our research reveals that city actors continue to criminalize homelessness. This Report concludes by offering suggested changes for Colorado cities moving forward. First, only through stopping the criminalization efforts will we begin to alleviate the vicious cycle of homelessness in Colorado. Colorado cities should repeal camping bans that merely criminalize the human necessity to sleep and rest, provide new resources to homeless populations such as twenty-four-hour restrooms, and invest in education efforts that promote the dignity of people in poverty. Trying to make homelessness invisible does nothing more than make homelessness inevitable. Details: Denver: University of Denver Sturm College of Law, Homeless Advocacy Policy Project, 2018. 47p. Source: Internet Resource: U Denver Legal Studies Research Paper No. 18-14: Accessed May 9, 2018 at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3174780 Year: 2018 Country: United States URL: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3174780 Shelf Number: 150126 Keywords: Begging Homeless Persons Homelessness HousingLoiteringPanhandling Vagrants |
Author: St. Mungo's Title: Dying on the Streets: The case for moving quickly to end rough sleeping Summary: Last year in England, more than 4,700 people slept rough on any one night, and a far larger number experienced rough sleeping during the course of the year. The number of people sleeping rough has risen by 169% since 2010, when the Government introduced the current method of counting. As the number of people sleeping rough has risen, so too has the number of people dying on the streets. The only area with consistent data on this is London, where 158 people who were sleeping rough died between 2010 and 2017. That is an average of one death every fortnight. More than half of those who died had a mental health support need recorded. In the UK as a whole, while rough sleeper deaths are not consistently recorded, recent reports suggest that the number of homeless people dying on the streets or in temporary accommodation has increased dramatically. Analysis by the Guardian and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism suggests that the number of homeless deaths rose from 32 in 2013 to 77 in 2017. In the first four months of 2018 alone there have already been 40 recorded deaths, higher than the figure for the whole of 2013 and an average of more than two deaths every week. In total, this suggests that at least 318 people experiencing homelessness have died in the UK since 2013. Overwhelmingly, the deaths of these individuals are premature and entirely preventable. The average age of death for a man who dies whilst homeless is 47. For a woman, it is just 43. This is nothing short of a national scandal. Rough sleeping is the most visible form of homelessness, and dying on the streets is its most appalling consequence. The recent rapid increase should be a wake up call for Government. St Mungo's has long campaigned to reduce the harm caused by rough sleeping. In February 2016 we launched our 'Stop the Scandal' campaign which shone a light on the widespread experience of violence, mental health and physical health problems faced by people sleeping rough. Our campaign called on the Government to commit to a new strategy to end rough sleeping, and we are pleased that the Government has responded and will be publishing a national rough sleeping strategy later this year. Alongside the implementation of the Homelessness Reduction Act, this strategy presents a vital opportunity to make sure no one else dies as a result of sleeping rough. To gather evidence on what is and is not working about current responses to rough sleeping, we carried out a national survey of street outreach services in March and April 2018. 71 responses were received from a variety of different providers, including but not limited to St Mungo's We received responses from services operating in every region in England. We asked 37 questions, mostly multiple choice and some open ended, to build a better picture of the situation on the frontline. Details: London: St. Mungo's, 2018. 20p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 21, 2018 at: https://www.mungos.org/publication/dying/ Year: 2018 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.mungos.org/publication/dying/ Shelf Number: 150621 Keywords: Homeless Persons HomelessnessMentally Ill Persons Rough Sleeping |
Author: John Howard Association of Illinois Title: Punishment That Doesn't Fit the Crime: Stories of People Living on the Margins Summary: This report examines stories of marginalized individuals in relation to criminal justice systems over the course of their lives-in being stopped, searched, arrested, fined, jailed or incarcerated for low level offenses. These stories unmask the cumulative impact that criminal justice involvement, coupled with economic and racial inequalities, has on the life trajectories, happiness, and quality of life of marginalized individuals, their families and communities. Through these stories, the static and ineffective roles of many system actors became clear. Our jails and prisons have become the sole response to a myriad of system failures, including miscarriages in mental health treatment, racial and economic inequality, education, child and family welfare support, community infrastructure, housing and employment opportunities. A complex web of interrelated social failures and ills cannot be effectively cured by simply increasing the reach of police, sanctions, criminal courts, jails, and prisons over the lives of American citizens. As inequalities in the justice system are invisible, cumulative, inter-generational, and deeply concentrated in a small fraction of the population, the experiences of this population are traditionally left out of public discourse on criminal justice. In order to foster more democratic communities by continually challenging dominant narratives, we present these lived experiences as a way to rethink our common histories and public policy in light of each other's stories. Details: Chicago: John Howard Association of Illinois, 2018. 50p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 13, 2018 at: http://www.thejha.org/sites/default/files/JHA%20Report%20Punishment%20That%20Doesn%27t%20Fit%20the%20Crime%20Stories%20of%20People%20Living%20on%20the%20Margins%20Part%201.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United States URL: http://www.thejha.org/sites/default/files/JHA%20Report%20Punishment%20That%20Doesn%27t%20Fit%20the%20Crime%20Stories%20of%20People%20Living%20on%20the%20Margins%20Part%201.pdf Shelf Number: 151114 Keywords: Disadvantaged PersonsHomeless PersonsHomelessnessPovertyRacial DisparitiesVagrants |
Author: Harman, Jennifer J. Title: A Study of Homelessness in Seven Colorado Jails Summary: "A Study of Homelessness in Seven Colorado Jails" surveyed 507 inmates in jails in Arapahoe County, the City and County of Denver, El Paso County, Larimer County, Mesa County, and Pueblo County. The sites were chosen because they represent a good cross-section of jurisdictions in Colorado that experience the impacts of homeless populations. The Division of Criminal Justice commissioned Eris Enterprises to conduct the study to provide data that may help answer questions being raised by law enforcement, legislators and community members in relation to a reported increase in the homeless population in major Colorado jails and in Colorado in general. The study examined the prevalence of risk factors associated with homelessness, the types and number of crimes committed, home state origin, why non-native inmates moved to Colorado, and what services inmates need to transition out of jail. In particular, the study sought to provide insight on one frequently posed question: is Colorado seeing an increase in homeless people moving to Colorado for legal marijuana and then committing crimes? SUMMARY OF RESULTS The study found that the majority of homeless who ended up in Colorado jails moved here prior to legalization of marijuana, and most moved here to escape a problem or be with family. More than one third of the homeless who moved to Colorado after legalization in 2012 reported legal marijuana as a reason that drew them to Colorado. However, only two individuals selected legal marjiuana as the only factor that drew them to Colorado. The study also found that homeless inmates reported higher rates of mental illness and were charged with significantly fewer violent crimes but significantly more drug and trespassing crimes than non-homeless inmates. Details: Denver: ColoradoDivision of Criminal Justice, 2018. 45p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 14, 2018 at:; https://cdpsdocs.state.co.us/ors/docs/reports/2018_Jail_Homelessness_Study.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United States URL: https://cdpsdocs.state.co.us/ors/docs/reports/2018_Jail_Homelessness_Study.pdf Shelf Number: 151128 Keywords: Homeless PersonsHomelessnessHousingJail InmatesJailsLoiteringMentally Ill PersonsPanhandling Vagrants |
Author: National Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence and Multiple Disadvantage Title: Breaking Down the Barriers: Findings of The National Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence and Multiple Disadvantage Summary: Recent work on multiple disadvantage has focused on a set of common issues: homelessness, offending and substance use. As a result, work on multiple disadvantage has predominantly focused on men who are identified as having higher rates of these three issues. When the definition of multiple disadvantage is changed to incorporate the impact of violence against women and girls, however, a different balance emerges. One in every 20 women have experienced extensive physical or sexual violence and abuse across their life course, compared to one in every 100 men. This equates to 1.2 million women in England alone. These women face very high rates of problems like mental ill-health, addiction, homelessness and poverty. More than half have a common mental health condition, one in five have been homeless and one in three have an alcohol problem. Gendered violence also mediates the pathway to women's criminalisation, as most women in contact with the criminal justice system have faced domestic or sexual violence. Furthermore, this is also reflected in the experiences of many women involved in prostitution. Recent work on multiple disadvantage has focused on a set of common issues: homelessness, offending and substance use. As a result, work on multiple disadvantage has predominantly focused on men who are identified as having higher rates of these three issues. When the definition of multiple disadvantage is changed to incorporate the impact of violence against women and girls, however, a different balance emerges. One in every 20 women have experienced extensive physical or sexual violence and abuse across their life course, compared to one in every 100 men. This equates to 1.2 million women in England alone. These women face very high rates of problems like mental ill-health, addiction, homelessness and poverty. More than half have a common mental health condition, one in five have been homeless and one in three have an alcohol problem. Gendered violence also mediates the pathway to women's criminalisation, as most women in contact with the criminal justice system have faced domestic or sexual violence. Furthermore, this is also reflected in the experiences of many women involved in prostitution. Details: London: Agenda; AVA; Lloyds Bank Foundation, 2019. 145p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 27, 2019 at: https://weareagenda.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Breaking-down-the-Barriers-full-report-FINAL.pdf Year: 2019 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://weareagenda.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Breaking-down-the-Barriers-full-report-FINAL.pdf Shelf Number: 154774 Keywords: Domestic ViolenceGender-Based ViolenceHomelessnessProstitutionSexual ViolenceSubstance AbuseViolence Against Women and Girls |
Author: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Title: The Health of Australia's Prisoners 2018 Summary: The health and well-being of people in prison are also those of the community. People in contact with the criminal justice system have higher rates of homelessness and unemployment and often come from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. People leaving prison are members of society needing employment, housing, health care, and other support services in the community to maintain and improve health and well-being, and reduce the likelihood of returning to prison. On 30 June 2018, there were about 43,000 people in Australia's prisons. Most people in prison were either on remand (32%), or serving sentences under 5 years in length (62%), and thousands of people cycle through the prison system each year (ABS 2018a). People in prison have significant and complex health needs, which are often long-term or chronic in nature. They have higher rates of mental health conditions, chronic disease, communicable disease, acquired brain injury, tobacco smoking, high-risk alcohol consumption, recent illicit drug use, and recent injecting drug use, than the general population (AIHW 2015). Improving the health and well-being of people in prison, and maintaining those improvements after prison, benefits the entire community. This report presents the results of the 5th National Prisoner Health Data Collection (NPHDC), which was conducted in 2018. 3 in 4 prison entrants had previously been in prison - Most people (73%) entering prison had been in prison before, and almost half (45%) of prison entrants had been in prison within the previous 12 months. Male prison entrants were more likely to have extensive prison histories than female entrants. More than one-third (35%) of male entrants had been in prison 5 or more times, compared with 15% of female entrants. Indigenous prison entrants were more likely than non-Indigenous entrants to have an extensive prison history. Almost half (43%) of Indigenous entrants had been in prison at least 5 times before, compared with 25% of non-Indigenous entrants. 2 in 5 prison entrants had been told they had a mental health condition, with almost 1 in 4 currently taking mental health-related medication - About 2 in 5 prison entrants (40%) and prison dischargees (37%) reported a previous diagnosis of a mental health condition, including alcohol and other drug use disorders. Women were more likely than men to report: - a history of a mental health condition (65% compared with 36%); - taking medication for a mental health condition (40% compared with 21%). Non-Indigenous prison entrants (26%) were more likely than Indigenous entrants (19%) to report currently taking medication for a mental health condition. 3 in 4 deaths in prison custody were due to natural causes - Between 2013-14 and 2014-15, 115 people died in prison. Almost 3 in 4 (71%) of these deaths were from natural causes, and 1 in 4 (25%) were due to suicide or self-inflicted causes. 1 in 5 prison entrants reported a history of self-harm - More than 1 in 5 (21%) prison entrants reported a history of self-harm. Women entering prison (31%) were 1.5 times as likely as men (20%) to report a history of self-harm. More than 1 in 4 (26%) younger prison entrants (aged 18-24) reported a history of self-harm, higher than any other age group. Almost 3 in 10 younger prison entrants had a family history of incarceration - Almost 1 in 5 (18%) prison entrants reported that one or more parents or carers had been in prison when they were a child. This was more likely among Indigenous entrants (31%) than non-Indigenous entrants (11%). Younger prison entrants (27% of those aged 18-24) were almost 3 times as likely as older entrants (10% of those aged 45 and over) to have had a parent or carer in prison during their childhood. 3 in 4 prison entrants were current smokers - Most (75%) prison entrants said they were current smokers. Indigenous prison entrants (80%) were more likely than non-Indigenous entrants (73%), and women (86%) were more likely than men (73%) to be current smokers. More than 2 in 5 (41%) prison entrants who were current smokers said that they would like to quit. Almost 2 in 3 prison entrants reported using illicit drugs in the previous year Almost two-thirds (65%) of prison entrants reported using illicit drugs during the previous 12 months. Female prison entrants (74%) were more likely to report recent illicit drug use than male entrants (64%), and non-Indigenous entrants (66%) were more likely than Indigenous entrants (63%). Methamphetamine was the most common illicit drug used, followed by cannabis. Almost 1 in 6 (16%) prison dischargees reported using illicit drugs in prison, and 1 in 12 (8%) said they had injected drugs in prison. About 1 in 3 prison entrants had a high-school education level of Year 9 or under - Prison entrants were asked about the highest level of schooling that they had completed - one-third (33%) said Year 9 or under, and 17% said Year 8 or under. About 1 in 4 (25%) Indigenous prison entrants had completed Year 11 or 12 at school, compared with 41% of non-Indigenous entrants. Indigenous entrants (24%) were more likely than non-Indigenous entrants (10%) to report that their highest level of completed schooling was Year 8 or under. Almost 1 in 3 (30%) prison entrants had a chronic physical health condition Almost one-third (30%) of prison entrants said they had a history of at least 1 of the following chronic physical health conditions - arthritis, asthma, cancer, cardiovascular disease, or diabetes. Asthma (22%) was the most common chronic physical health condition reported. Almost half (45%) of female entrants had a history of a chronic condition, compared with almost 3 in 10 (28%) male entrants. Of the prison entrants tested for blood-borne viruses, 1 in 5 tested positive for hepatitis C - In 2016, more than 1 in 5 (22%) prison entrants tested positive for hepatitis C antibodies - about 1 in 5 (21%) male prison entrants and more than 1 in 4 (28%) female prison entrants (Butler & Simpson 2017). About half (50%) of the prison entrants who had previously injected drugs had positive hepatitis C antibody tests - 52% of males, and 45% of females. More than 1 in 2 prison dischargees expected they would be homeless on release Homelessness is far more common among people in contact with the prison system than among people in the general community. About one-third (33%) of prison entrants said they were homeless in the 4 weeks before prison - 28% were in short-term or emergency accommodation, and 5% were in unconventional housing or sleeping rough. More than half (54%) of prison dischargees expected to be homeless on release from prison, with 44% planning to sleep in short term or emergency accommodation, 2% planning to sleep rough, and 8% did not know where they would sleep. Details: Canberra, Australia: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2018. 203p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 5, 2019 at: https://apo.org.au/node/238771 Year: 2018 Country: Australia URL: https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2019/05/apo-nid238771-1362216.pdf Shelf Number: 156209 Keywords: Correctional HealthHomelessnessPrisonPrisoner HealthPrisoner Mental HealthPrisoner SuicidePrisoner WellbeingRecidivism |