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Scope note: This research guide highlights some of the resources available in the Social Work Library, on campus, and on the web concerned with homelessness. This guide is not comprehensive, but is intended to provide a starting point for research in these areas. Contact library staff at social.work.library@umich.edu for assistance in locating additional resources.
Books/Mirlyn ** Reference Sources** Articles/Databases
Other Campus Libraries ** Selected Web Resources
To locate books (and other materials such as videos) in the University Library's collections, try any of the following terms in Mirlyn (the library’s online catalog) using either the"words anywhere" or “subject words” search from the pull-down menu:
| Homeless persons | Homeless children | Homeless women |
Homeless youth |
Street children | Shelters for the homeless |
| Homeless families | Runaway teenagers | Youth--Housing |
| Poor women | Poor children | Marginality, Social |
| Housing policy--United States | Social work with the homeless |
Tip:: For an historical perspective, try subject searches using the terms tramps, begging, poor laws, skid row, squatters, squatter settlements, etc.
Looking for an introduction to the subject, background information, facts or definitions? Try any of the following sources -- some are electronic editions, licensed by the UM LIbrary for the campus and some are currently only available in print in the Social Work Library Reference Collection or in the Hatcher Graduate Library Reference Collection.
Encyclopedia of Aging (2006)
Edited by Richard Schulz et al.
NY: Springer, 2006
Social Work Library Reference Collection HQ
1061 .E531 2006
Topics: Homelessness
Encyclopedia of Aging (2002) 
Edited by Ekerdt, D.J. (Ed.).
New York: Macmillan
Reference USA.
Social Work Library Reference Collection
HQ 1061 .E5341 2002
Topics: Homelessness, Poverty
Encyclopedia of Community: From the Village to the Virtual World (2003)
Edited by Karen Christensen and Lavid Levinson
Thousand Oaks, CA: 2003
Social Work Library Reference Collection HM 756 .E531 2003
Topic: Homelessness (Vol. 2)
Encyclopedia of Homelessness
Levenson, D. (Ed.).
Thousand
Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2004
Encyclopedia of Psychology
Alan E. Kasdin, editor-in-chief
Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association, 2000
Social Work Library Reference Collection BF 31 .E521 2000
Topics: Homelessness (Vol. 4)
Encyclopedia of Social Work (20th
ed.)
New York: National Association of Social Workers, 2008
Social Work Library Reference Collection HV 89 .S6 2008
Topics: Homelessness
Encyclopedia of Sociology (2nd ed.)
Edited by E.F. Borgatta
New York: Macmillan, 2000.
Social Work Library Reference Collection HM 17 .E51 2000
Topics: Homelessness, Poverty, Mental Illness and Mental Disorders
International
Encyclopedia of Marriage and Family (2nd ed.)
Edited by James J. Ponzetti, Jr.
New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002
Topics: Homeless Families
International
Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences
Edited by Neil J. Smelser and Paul B. Baltes
ScienceDirect [online distributor], 2002
Topics: Homelessness
Social Work Speaks: National Association
of Social Workers policy statements, 2006-2009, 7th ed.
National Association of Social Workers
Washington, DC : NASW Press, c2006
Social Work Library Reference Collection HV 95 .N26 2006
Includes a statement on homelessness.
Looking for journal articles or other types of research materials? Try any
or all of the following databases, depending on your focus. Most include
substantial access to electronic full text. Click
on 
to
link to full text of the article.
AGELINE
Indexes and abstracts books, book chapters, journals, research reports, dissertations, and educational videos in the field of aging and social gerontology.
Search terms/phrases: homeless, service needs
Child
Abuse, Welfare and Adoption (Guide
available)
Indexes books, journal articles, papers, federal grant reports and descriptions
of programs and treatment related to the maltreatment, safety and well-being
of children. A free version of this
database can be found at the National Child Welfare Information Gateway.
Search terms/phrases: homeless children, homelessness, homeless
shelters, emergency shelter, or shelter programs
CQ
(Congressional Quarterly) Researcher
Each weekly issue covers a single theme, written by a seasoned journalist --
CQ Researcher is noted for its in-depth, unbiased coverage topics of particular
interest to Congress. A great place to get going on any topic they’ve
covered.
Search terms/phrases: homeless, homelessness, homeless veterans,
homeless shelters
Criminal
Justice Abstracts (Guide
Available)
Indexes major journals, book chapters, and selected government
reports in criminology and related disciplines.
Search terms/phrases: homeless, homelessness.
ERIC
Access to journal articles and other types of publications
in the field of education. Each reference has either an EJ number (journal article) or an ED number (ERIC "document"). Many are available full-text; nearly all
are available on microfiche in the Grad Library.
Search terms/phrases: homeless people (combine with "youth" to
narrow to school age populations)
Ethnic
Newswatch
This is an interdisciplinary, bilingual (English and Spanish) full text database
of the newspapers, magazines and journals of the ethnic, minority and native
press.
Search terms/phrases: homeless people
Family & Society
Studies Worldwide
Directed at professionals in all fields of social work, social science and
family practice; includes both scholarly and more popular treatments.
Search terms/phrases: homeless, homelessness.
LegalTrac
Good source for articles on published
in legal and criminology journals; many of the journals are available electronically
via the Law
Library.
Search terms/phrases: homeless persons, homelessness, homeless
children, homeless shelters, homeless women, homeless
youth, tramps, or Social Work with the Homeless.
LexisNexis
Congressional
Click
on the link labeled"Congressional" found under "Search for
other information" on the left of the default search page. Search bills,
indexes, legislative history using the word homeless or homelessness.
LGBT
Life
Covers several hundred popular, scholarly and local and regional sources
related to all aspects of LGBT life.
Search terms/phrases: homeless or homeless
adolescents, homeless children, homeless men, homeless people or homeless
persons
NCJRS
(National Criminal Justice Reference Service Abstracts Database)
Produced by the U.S. Department of Justice, with
summaries of reports, articles, and AV products
(U.S. and international) including statistics, research,
program descriptions, congressional hearings, and training
materials. Search terms/phrases: homeless
persons, homeless children, homelessness
PAIS
International (Public Affairs Information Service Bulletin) (Guide
available)
References to journal articles, books, government and international
agency documents, statistical, research and conference reports, on
public and social policy worldwide.
Search terms/phrases: Homeless, Homelessness, Homeless Persons, social service -- work with homeless persons
PsycInfo
Extensive coverage of scholarly journal articles, book chapters, books, and
dissertations in psychology and related disciplines, produced by the American
Psychological Association.
Search terms/phrases: homeless, homeless mentally
ill.
Social
Services Abstracts (Guide
available)
An index of social services literature, including social welfare, policy
and community development. Abstracts cover journal articles, dissertations
and book reviews.
Search terms/phrases: homelessness
Social
Work Abstracts
Produced by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), this database
covers journal articles on a wide range of social issues and practice.
Search terms/phrases: homeless, homelessness
Sociological
Abstracts (Guide
available)
Covers scholarly sociological literature; of potential
use to researchers looking for current and historical trends related to social issues.
Search terms/phrases: homelessness
Government Resources
U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services
The resource center provides links to directories, bibliographies, organizations,
and publications published by this agency.
Homeless Policy
Academies
"The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and other Federal
agencies designed a series of Policy Academies to help state and local
policy makers improve access to mainstream resources for people who are
homeless. Each state develops an action plan outlining its implementation
and evaluation process."
Interagency Council on Homelessness
Created in 1987, the council's serves to coordinate the national
response to homelessness and is comprised ofthe
directors of relevant federal departments and agencies. The site
links to articles and reports about council, including Innovative
Initiatives -- links to innovative programs related to alleviating
homelessness.
National Council for Homeless
Education/SERVE Center
Funded by the U.S. Dept.
of Education, the NCHE is a clearinghouse of excellent information in support of improving
the education of homeless children and youth.
Homelessness Resource Center
Part of the Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration, this web site offers hundreds of valuable
resources, categorized by tags.
Social Security Administration
This
web site lists services (such as health care, transition assistance) available
from the SSA for the homeless, and links to other governmental
resources and advocacy groups.
U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development
Links
to government, private and nonprofit information on housing and
the homeless; provides a library with links to publications
on homelessness, funding sources, facts and other federal programs. Plus numerous
databases with facts, shelters and services searchable by state. See also
HUD
USER (below) for information related to Michigan.
U.S.
Department of Labor
Includes best practice programs dealing
with homelessness and labor, prisoner reentry, grants for homeless
services and FirstStep an
interactive tool funded by many government agencies to aid providers in the
identification of possible federal benefits for their clients.
White
House Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives: Homelessness
This
site offers a list of federal grants offered for programs working with the
homeless.
Legal Resources
American Bar Association
Commission on Homelessness and Poverty
The ABA Commission promotes
pro bono legal services for the homeless and works to educate the public
on legal issues related to homelessness.
National Law Center on
Homelessness and Poverty
Serves as the "legal arm of the nationwide
movement to end homelessness".
This group's web site provides statistics on homelessness, papers and publication
on homelessness, and a number of links
to other resources on this topic.
Nonprofit Organizations
Corporation for Supportive Housing
A national nonprofit aimed at helping
communities "create permanent housing with services to prevent and end homelessness."
Housing Assistance Council
The
Council is devoted to helping meet the housing needs of
the rural poor by offering services to public, nonprofit, and private organizations throughout the rural United States.
National Alliance to End Homelessness
The
aim of this organization is to create an alliance of public and private groups
with a goal of reducing or eliminating homelessness. This web site offers
background and statistics on homelessness, policy and legislation and links
to best practices dealing with homelessness.
National Health Care for the Homeless
Council
A council of over 65 organizational members and 650 individual
clinical members who support the health care needs of the homeless. The web
site provides links to advocacy, research, training, clinical resources and
publications on homelessness and health care.
National Coalition for the
Homeless
Using grassroots organization, public education and public
policy advocacy, this group seeks to end homelessness by concentrating on
housing justice, education justice, healthcare justice, and civil and voting
rights. The web site provides fact sheets on homelessness and updates to
legislation and public policy on homelessness.
National Policy and Advocacy
Council on Homelessness
Helps to education the public and policy
makers on homelessness and promotes homeless policy which is appropriate
to the needs of the local community. NPACH also aims to connect various
organizations to advocate for the homeless, such as local community organizations,
public schools, and the workplace. The web site contains fact sheets,
policy papers, a report archive and additional links related to homeless
issues.
National Student Campaign Against
Hunger and Homelessness
This organization's goal is to educate
college students on how to advocate for the hungry and homeless and to train
these students to collaborate with other local and national organizations
toward these ends.
Urban Institute
A non-partisan policy research and educational organization established
to examine a variety of social, economic, and governance issues. A search
for "homeless" will turn up several hundred relevant documents.
Local and Michigan Agencies and Resources
Washtenaw Housing
Alliance
A community of federal, state, and local providers, researchers
and policy makers engaged in developing and advancing state-of-the art knowledge
and promising practices to end homelessness.
Interfaith Hospitality
Network of Washtenaw County
IHN supports temporary shelter
at the Alpha House was built specifically for this purpose.
Education
Project for Homeless Youth
A program of the Washtenaw
Intermediate School District, works to ensure that the more than 600
students experiencing homelessness in Washtenaw County, "enroll, regularly
attend and succeed in school."
Michigan Coalition Against
Homelessness
Provides directories of services
for the homeless available in Michigan. There is also a list of Michigan
groups advocating for and helping the homeless of the state of Michigan.
HUD in Michigan
Provides
news items, annual reports and grant notices on homelessness from the Department
of Housing and Urban Development for the state of Michigan.
Ozone House
"Services
for youth ages 10–20 and their families experiencing crisis
or conflict, runaway and homeless youth, and abused or neglected youth" in Washtenaw County.
S.O.S. Community Services
Based in Ypsilanti, S.O.S. provides a variety of services for homeless families and children.
Avalon Housing, Inc.
"A
non-profit, community-based organization providing permanent affordable housing."
Covenant
House Michigan
The "largest privately-funded childcare agency in the United States
providing shelter and service to homeless and runaway youth", there is a Covenant
House location in Detroit, Michigan.
Father Patrick Jackson House
A non-denominational residential program of Catholic Social Services of Washtenaw County "serving homeless, pregnant and parenting adolescents and their children".
National Association for Black Veterans
Works on behalf of all veterans, with special attention to their own constituency.
National Center on Family Homelessness
This center focusses on research and program evaluation to develop innovative practices and provide training and technical assistance to shelters and other service providers.
National Clearinghouse on Families
and Youth
Part of the Administration for
Children and Families, the NCFY offers a database of journal article citations,
briefs, and URL addresses to online articles on topics involving children and
families, searchable by keyword. There are nearly 600 citations on homelessness.
National Coalition for Homeless
Veterans
The NCHV "seeks to eliminate homelessness in the veteran
community and work its way out of business." The organization's web site
provides resources for homeless veterans and those working with this population.
National Association for the Education
of Homeless Children and Youth
Connects educators, parents, advocates
and researchers on the needs and rights of the education of homeless children.
This is a good site for information on legislation and policy on homelessness
and children.
National
Network for Youth
NN4Y is a nonprofit organization working for the
needs youths "who face
greater odds due to abuse and neglect, homelessness, lack of resources, community
prejudice, differing abilities and other life challenges." This web site
offers fact sheets on public policy affecting at-risk youth, publications,
training opportunities, and advocacy tips for those working with this population.
Stand Up For Kids
A national organization whose aim is to provide assistance and a stabilization for homeless and runaway youth.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
The
U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs offers many programs for the homeless
veteran including grants, housing referrals, and health care services
Statistical Resources
National
Alliance to End Homelessness: Data and Research
Nonprofit organization whose mission is to inform "policy makers
at the federal level about ways in which they can help to end homelessness
across the nation". Site includes sections on policy, legislation
and advocacy related to homelessness.
Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Homeless Statistics
and Data
Links to the National
Resource Center on Homelessness and Mental Illness and census bureau
information.
LexisNexis
Statistical Universe
Indexes and abstracts to statistical publications, both government and private.
Try a subject term search for homeless population or emergency
shelters.
Poverty
and Homelessness Publications from HUD User
Publications available for download or order.
U.S.
Census National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients (NSHAPC) Data
files
are available for downloading on the U.S. Census web site. The survey results
were published in 1999 by the Interagency Council on the Homeless as Homelessness:
programs and the people they serve, also available at the Social
Work Library (HV 4505 .H6578 1999)
Not all resources on homelessness are found at the Social Work Library. The following libraries also have a number of resources on this topic.
| Hatcher Graduate Library | Public Health Library | Taubman Medical Library |
Shapiro Undergraduate Library |
Kresge Business Library | UM Law Library |
Document Custodian: Barbara Beaton
Content last updated on: June 10, 2008
Converted by Jamie Nielsen 10/15/07
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