Rights, responsibilities and refusals: Homelessness policy and the exclusion of single homeless people with complex needs

Dwyer, Peter; Bowpitt, Graham; Sundin, Eva; Weinstein, Mark

doi:10.1177/0261018314546311

Cited by 35 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Social workers who give aid to homeless persons often work with highly ambiguous goals (Ravenhill ; Smith‐Carrier and Lawlor ; Stonehouse, Threlkeld and Farmer ) as they must sort out the complex troubles of the homeless persons’ situation as well as negotiate with them what a better life might entail (Dwyer, Bowpitt, Sundin and Weinstein ). This moral enterprise is about deciding the ‘moral culpability or pathology of homeless individuals’, which then becomes the centre of the explanation (Farrugia and Gerrard : 260, 270).…”

Section: Related Empirical Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Agency and clientship in public encounters: co‐constructing ‘neediness’ and ‘worthiness’ in shelter placement meetings

Mik‐Meyer

Silverman

2019

British Journal of Sociology

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This article seeks to develop our understanding of the agency of vulnerable groups who at first sight may not seem to have much agency in their lives. It explores the co‐constructed nature of agency in three Danish homeless shelters. Unlike earlier interview‐based studies, our research is based on naturalistic data drawn from 23 video‐recorded placement meetings. Using concepts from Goffman, we examine how versions of the neediness and worthiness of homeless people are negotiated verbally and bodily between staff and clients. We find that homeless people have to juggle two partly contradictory roles when they are given or take the roles of either a (active) citizen or a (passive) client. Clientship is actively negotiated by both parties and demonstrates the agency of homeless people: they can collaborate with (as clients) or challenge (as citizens) the staff’s attempts to formulate solutions to their troubles. We further examine how the professional ideology of client centredness affects the meeting between the two parties. However, we show that, like any discourse, client centredness has no intrinsic meaning and is played out by actors in very different ways. In work with the homeless, the discourse of client centredness is related to discourses of ‘neediness’, ‘worthiness’ and ‘value for money’ that define agency in different ways and make three different client positions available: the resolute client, the acquiescent client and the passive client.

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Section: Related Empirical Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Agency and clientship in public encounters: co‐constructing ‘neediness’ and ‘worthiness’ in shelter placement meetings

Mik‐Meyer

Silverman

2019

British Journal of Sociology

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“…Baldry et al (2006) and Dwyer et al (2014) show that stable accommodation is crucial in tackling other problems. Cooper (2014: 25) found that, despite acting as semi-penal institutions, hostel accommodation was beneficial, particularly for some women where they were involved in group work, and "cultivated an 'institutional intimacy' and collective empowerment", with some stating improvements in a sense of safety and stability.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Considering the legitimacy of homeless hostels as sites of discipline and regulation

Mahoney

2019

IJSSP

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to critique the role of homeless hostels in contemporary society, examining their role and legitimacy as sites of discipline and regulation of behaviors, ideas and aspirations. Design/methodology/approach The research draws upon in-depth qualitative interviews and supplementary observations undertaken in two homeless hostels in Stoke-on-Trent. Findings The research finds that even the most benign interventions enacted in homeless hostels are infused with disciplinary and regulatory techniques and suggests that the author needs to consider the legitimacy and efficacy of such approaches when seeking to understand the role of the hostel in assisting residents in (re)developing their autonomy. Research limitations/implications While there are legitimate reasons for the deployment of such techniques in some cases, legitimacy can be undermined where expectations go unmet or where developing residents’ and service user’s needs are not necessarily the main object of the interventions. Practical implications Hostel providers need to consider the ethicality and legitimacy of the interventions in place when seeking to help service users and residents to (re)develop their autonomy and ensure that efforts are focused in an effective and meaningful way. Social implications Homeless people are among the most vulnerable and excluded in society. The paper seeks to draw attention to the disciplinary and regulatory techniques to which they are subject in order to ensure that approaches employed to support homeless individuals have a clear, ethical and legitimate basis. Originality/value The research draws upon original data collected as part of a doctoral research project into wider experiences of unemployment.

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“…Watts and Fitzpatrick (2018 b) note that welfare services can be allocated on the basis of entitlement or discretion. When considering this in relation to housing services, Dwyer et al (2015) argue that the inclusive rights-based rhetoric around homelessness legislation and strategies is often at odds with discretionary implementation. The different actors involved in mediating access to social housing also creates complexity.…”

Section: Affordability Conditionality and Welfare Reformmentioning

confidence: 99%

The affordability of “affordable” housing in England: conditionality and exclusion in a context of welfare reform

2019

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Contemporary debates around affordability have largely focused on homeownership and private renting. This article considers the affordable social rented sector in England, in which reforms to social welfare assistance, reduced security of tenure, and a shift towards mid-market rents, are changing access to 'affordable' housing for those on the lowest incomes. Drawing on in-depth interviews with housing associations and stakeholders, the article highlights the increasing use of affordability assessments for prospective tenants. These assessments interact with mid-market rental products to increase the potential for exclusion from affordable housing on the grounds of ability to pay. This conditionality is applied not only at the point of tenancy access, but also at renewal of fixed-term tenancies. The research highlights that the combination of welfare and housing policies, in the context of a financialising housing association sector, has the potential to erode access to social housing for those who are perceived as a financial risk, reshaping the focus of social housing.

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Rights, responsibilities and refusals: Homelessness policy and the exclusion of single homeless people with complex needs

Cited by 35 publications

References 27 publications

Agency and clientship in public encounters: co‐constructing ‘neediness’ and ‘worthiness’ in shelter placement meetings

Agency and clientship in public encounters: co‐constructing ‘neediness’ and ‘worthiness’ in shelter placement meetings

Considering the legitimacy of homeless hostels as sites of discipline and regulation

The affordability of “affordable” housing in England: conditionality and exclusion in a context of welfare reform

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