TRAHOME Homelessness trajectories and non-take-up of social rights from a dynamic perspective
(2024) , 44 pages
Files
TRAHOME_FinRep.pdf
Publié
Open Access - Adobe PDF
- 940.27 KB
Details
- Authors
- Abstract
- Homelessness studies have evolved significantly, moving beyond the understanding of homelessness as a mere temporary and static phenomenon. Building upon prior findings of the MEHOBEL – Measuring Homelessness in Belgium – project, this TRAHOME project studies the trajectories of people experiencing homelessness (PEH) and their access to rights from a dynamic perspective. Our objectives are (1) to gain an in-depth understanding of the pathways of PEH, from different perspectives, by making use of a mixed-method approach, (2) to investigate the role of social work and local social policies and how these affect PEH’s trajectories, and (3) to examine the access to rights for PEH and the barriers which restrict their access. We accomplished these objectives by making use of both quantitative and qualitative analyses throughout six distinct studies. First, by making use of an administrative dataset of PEH between 2010 and 2018, we highlighted the prevalence of chronic homelessness in Belgium, with a significant segment of individuals facing administrative invisibility. Second, by making use of qualitative methods, we examined the access barriers to fundamental rights, which extend well beyond the right to housing. Through case studies on persons with a reference address, migrant homelessness in Ghent and women homelessness in Brussels, we contribute to the literature on welfare conditionality, citizenship and non-citizenship or ‘denizenship’, as well as nontake-up and administrative burdens that vulnerable people face in accessing rights. Moreover, we shed light on the punitive consequences if PEH fail to meet the criteria, resulting in the further loss of access to rights and services. Third, we conclude there is a significant role for local social work in providing harm reduction services and facilitating access to these rights. However, these street-level bureaucrats often face contradictory obligations such as balancing fraud prevention with providing access to rights. Based on our findings, we propose both academic and policy recommendations, including the importance of using a dynamic approach for understanding homelessness, ensuring that PEH are not administratively excluded which exacerbates their vulnerability, and making use of a rights-based approach to ensure that all individuals, including migrants, can access fundamental social and human rights.
- Affiliations
Belgian Science Policy Office Belspo
Citations
Roets, G., Wagener, M., Emmanuel, N., Samyn, S., Emmanuel, N., & Hermans, K. (2024). TRAHOME Homelessness trajectories and non-take-up of social rights from a dynamic perspective. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/238610