Space And Culture Of Homelessness Essay

Outline: Space and Culture of Homelessness Homelessness is associated with a culture unique to individuals who have, unstable housing or no housing who live on the streets, public places, shelters, halfway homes or in their cars. Homelessness is defined statistically as a state of not having a place to stay (Ravenhill, 2016). The statistical definition of homelessness conflicts with the perception of homeless people because for some homeless individuals the concept of home refers to a refuge, safe place, relationship with other homeless individuals, a unique personal space or an emotional and psychological refuge (Ravenhill). Even though homeless individuals do not have a stable place to stay they may have a place they call home. 
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Some of the cultural features associated with homelessness include establishing relationships with other homeless individuals to become a street family, participating in the street economy through drug dealing and pan handling, street language such as hip hop or street slang and ownership of few material belongings such as a musical instrument, Walkman or boom box (Oliveira & Burke, 2009). 
 Law enforcement activities and policies create barriers for homeless individuals’ efforts to create their home (Chesnay, Bellot & Sylvestre, 2013). The homelessness culture includes strategies to evade the resistance (Chesnay et al.). Another interesting aspect of homelessness and space is that some people define a home as a physical dwelling (Ravenhill); however, the definition of home changes once people adapt to the culture of homelessness and start to define home differently. The definition of home and culture can be considered transient and related to the socioeconomic status of an individual since a change in socioeconomic status from having stable housing to homelessness changes the meaning of these concepts. 
 The purpose of this paper is to present an outline for a paper on the critical analysis of the literature on the culture and space of homeless individuals to reveal the

O., & Burke, P. J. (2009). Lost in the shuffle: culture of homeless adolescents. Pediatric Nursing, 35(3), 154-161.

This source is an ethnographic study to explore the culture of homelessness in youth. Data for the study were obtained from nineteen homeless adolescents from the northeastern part of the US. Oliveira and Burke (2009) identified some of the cultural features of homeless youth including material possessions such as musical instruments and equipment, relationships with other homeless individuals to create a street family, selling drugs and panhandling as well as a street language. They found that the decision to make the streets their home was a rational option to staying unsafe and harmful home environments.

This study provides information about the homelessness culture. This source is relevant to the topic of space and culture of homelessness because it provides information about the factors that make homelessness youth choose the street as their space and home and information about the culture of homelessness. This source provides information from the perspective of homeless people.

Sheehan, R. (2010). 'I 'm protective of this yard ': long-term homeless persons ' construction of home place and workplace in a historical public space. Social & Cultural Geography, 11, 6,