Houses with elastic walls: negotiating home and homelessness within the policy domain

Abstract

Efforts to address homelessness in New Zealand are marked by competing discourses that construct it as a housing issue, or more radically, as an issue of social exclusion. This paper presents a case study that illustrates the difficulties of reconciling these discourses when framing homelessness policy. Research was conducted with a national organisation involved in advocating to the New Zealand government on homelessness policy. Members of this group participated in focus groups exploring the meanings of home, homelessness and their advocacy work. The paper traces the challenges presented to the politics of social action by recognising homelessness as an issue of social exclusion, but needing to frame it as an issue of housing to effect policy change. It argues that social activist groups must routinely make pragmatic and strategic compromises that challenge the integrity of their ideological positions and their conceptual understandings, and develop group practices that allow them to resolve the tensions that this can generate.

In search of ‘home’ for wellness: Mental health social workers’ views on homelessness in mental health

“…When exploring the individual causes of homelessness, one of the themes discussed in the literature is whether homelessness is a lifestyle choice or personal failure (Leggatt-Cook, 2007a;Leggatt-Cook, & Chamberlain, 2015). In this study, all the participants stated that it is a myth that people choose to be homeless; rather, they become homeless as a result of choicelessness.…”

“…The tension between individualist and structural approaches to the causes of homelessness was another theme which emerged from the literature (Leggatt-Cook & Chamberlain, 2015) and was clearly identified from the data, demonstrating the growing recognition of the 'both/and' view of causes of homelessness.…”

“…There is ongoing debate on the cause of homelessness within the literature. The argument lies on a continuum between an individualist approach (voluntary or individual failures lead to homelessness) on the one hand, and a structural approach (macro socio-economic factors cause people to be homeless) on the other (Leggatt-Cook, 2007a;Leggatt-Cook & Chamberlain, 2015). Several scholars have explored individual and structural causes of homelessness among tángata whaiora nationally and internationally MHCA, 2009).…”

“…Various scholars explain that it is a widely held view that some homeless people choose to be homeless where homelessness is a lifestyle choice or the result of individual failures due to lack of morale or laziness (Laurenson, & Collins, 2006;Leggatt-Cook & Chamberlain, 2015). Others indicate that having severe mental illness causes tángata whaiora to become homeless as the illness prevents them from forming and maintaining stable relationships ; National Coalition for the Homeless, 2009).…”

“…There has been an emerging trend towards what is known as the 'both/and' view of the causes of homelessness (Christian, 2003;Leggatt-Cook & Chamberlain, 2015). Several researchers have recognised that the causes of homelessness are overwhelmingly heterogeneous and occur via a complex combination of wide-ranging social and economic factors and personal life incidences and situations (Morrell-Bellai et al, 2000;Leggatt-Cook, 2007a).…”