The fourth workshop of the CUHP thematic network was held in London at London Metropolitan University on the 6th and 7th of March. It was attended on the first day by an expanded London Metropolitan University team and on the second day by UK NGOs working in the field of homelessness who presented their work.

Please click here for a full summary of the fourth workshop on qualitative research methods.

- Summary of 4th Workshop - Qualitative Methods

The range of qualitative methods

The main work of the first day was to the four long papers on different qualitative methods used in the study of homeless populations.

The paper from Tobias Stax Berner, Denmark, demonstrated the use of observation methods in a study of the interactions between social workers and homeless clients.

- ‘Observing the doing of Social Work with Homeless People’ by Tobias Berner Stax, DK

Lia van Doorn’ s paper, demonstrated the sociological understanding and theoretical construction that can be achieved through the use of both observation and in-depth interviewing methods of the street homeless over a seven year period.

- ‘Perspectives of the homeless of time and space in the Netherlands’ by Lia van Doorn, Netherlands.

The paper from Rossanna Torri and Antonio Tosi reported particular qualitative research studies undertaken in Italy in relation to women’s homelessness, and also raised the question of the theoretical purposes of biographical approaches.

- ‘Qualitative Interviews: narrative interviews and the biographical approach in Italian Research’ by Rossanna Torri and Antonio Tosi, IT.

The paper from Joan Smith and Megan Ravenhill, UK, described two very different approaches to qualitative research. Joan Smith described a 10-year study on youth homelessness that has used both in-depth, narrative interviews and survey research methods. Megan Ravenhill described a study that used both narrative interviews, analysed through route-maps a qualitative computer programme, and observation methods.

- ‘Undertaking qualitative research amongst homeless people in the UK – contrasting approaches’ by Joan Smith and Megan Ravenhill, UK.

The voice of the homeless

Maryse Marpsat, Fr, reported on her textual analysis of the web diary of Albert Vanderburg (Albert the Panther), a homeless US citizen who kept a web diary from October 1997 when he first became homeless to the date the study started in 2004.

- ‘A study of a homeless person’s online journal: The Panther’s Tale’ by Maryse Marpsat, Fr.

Problems of funding qualitative research

The teams from both Hungary and Spain reported a lack of qualitative studies in their countries and on the particular problems of funding qualitative studies.

- ‘Qualitative research on homelessness in Hungary’ by Eszther Somogyi and Ivan Tosics, HU

- ‘Qualitative studies of homeless people in Spain’ by Manuel Muñoz, Carmelo Vázquez, Sonia Panadero, José Juan Vázquez, SP

Non-Government Agencies working with the homeless in the UK

The main work of the second day was to understand the work of the UK NGOs - the UK legislative framework within which they worked, their services, their policy and research agendas. NGOs attending the second day in London included those working with the single homeless and street homeless (as in other workshops) and an organisation of the homeless, but also included NGOs working specifically with the young homeless, women survivors of domestic violence, and refugees. Also in attendance were representatives of a London Municipal Borough and the Greater London Authority whose contributions aided the network’s understanding of homelessness and housing crises of capital cities (the discussion of which began in the Copenhagen workshop).

Please click on the summary at the top of this page.

Theories of homelessness

The second day also began the work of considering the theoretical orientations of different teams. Three short papers were presented different perspectives on the study of homelessness.

Antonio Tosi and Rossana Torri’s paper discussed theories of marginalisation and immiseration in relation to homelessness.

- ‘Marginalisation as a process and the biographical approach’ by Antonio Tosi and Rossana Torri, IT.

Joan Smith’s paper discussed theories of social exclusion in relation to homelessness, and the relation of this theory to concepts of risk, social capital, and moral order.

- Risk, Exclusion, Moral Order and Social Capital – a first theorising of youth homelessness by Joan Smith, UK

Lia van Doorn’s paper introduces her understanding of the shock experienced by the newly homeless when they find themselves on the street, linking it to Goffman.

- ‘The newly homeless and the first days on the street’ by Lia van Doorn, Netherlands.