Sociology 498: Homelessness

Rossi: Down and Out in America

Rossi's developing non-economic theory:

"The extremely poor resemble the homeless only with respect to cash income. Both the homeless and the extremely poor work intermittently at best and have low-paying jobs. But the domiciled extremely poor are being helped, mainly by their relatives and friends."

Peter Rossi, Down and Out in America, chapter 4, page 116.

and...

"As shown in the last two chapters, the economic status of the domiciled extremely poor is not appreciably better than that of the homeless. Thrown on their own resources, neither group has the wherewithal to afford homes, but only a small minority are homeless. This chapter seeks to answer why some do become homeless by looking at those characteristics that make extremely poor people vulnerable to homelessness."

Peter Rossi, Down and Out in America, chapter 6, page 143.

(Contrast this with his chapter 1 thesis, pages 8-10.)

See also our broader list of causes.