Abstract
Although people experiencing homelessness all face the loss of their homes, the population is comprised of many diverse subgroups with unique needs, challenges, and strengths. Military families; lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) families; and immigrant and refugee families are all part of the homeless family population, but each subgroup faces its own unique set of challenges in addition to the common structural factors that lead most families into homelessness. Recognizing the needs of special groups within the homeless population is critically important for designing programs and services responsive to their unique challenges. Permanent housing is an essential part of the solution, but must be combined with adequate services and supports. Policymakers must attend to both the housing and income needs of these special populations as well as the social factors that increase the likelihood that a family might lose their home. The purpose of this chapter is to explore the needs of three special populations of people without homes: military, LBGT, and immigrant and refugee families. For each subgroup, we describe their needs and some of their unique challenges, and conclude by discussing directions for research, practice, and policy.
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DeCandia, C.J., Murphy, C.M., Coupe, N. (2014). Needs of Special Populations of Families Without Homes. In: Haskett, M., Perlman, S., Cowan, B. (eds) Supporting Families Experiencing Homelessness. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8718-0_5
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