Research paper part 1

Soc 3, Example Research Paper (part 1) Outline

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Ryan Finnigan

Soc 3: Social Problems

Annotated Bibliography

Research Paper Topic: Homelessness in California

Thesis statement: Advocacy groups and prominent politicians, including California’s governor,

recognize California’s high level of homelessness is a severe and growing social problem. This

problem has been exacerbated by California’s high and rising housing costs.

• Hundreds of thousands of people in California are experiencing homelessness (lack of

stable and safe housing), and that number has increased over time.

o California has the highest rate of homelessness in the United States, and the

largest number experiencing homelessness outside of shelters (Henry, Watt, et al.

2020).

o Over 150,000 people in California were experiencing homelessness in 2019, an

increase of more than 16% since the previous year (Henry, Watt, et al. 2020).

o Tent encampments are especially common in California, which have unique risks

and benefits for their residents relative to other forms of homelessness (Loftus-

Farren 2011).

o Studies have shown this number likely underestimates homelessness. The number

of people experiencing homelessness would be far greater if the definition

includes people “doubled up” in a friend’s or family’s home (Shinn and Khadduri

2020).

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• Homelessness in California is disproportionately common for people from marginalized

groups.

o Almost by definition, homelessness is a product of poverty (Lee, Tyler and

Wright 2010, Shinn and Khadduri 2020).

o Both nationally and in California, men, LGBTQ+ identified people, Black and

indigenous people, and people with disabilities are all over-represented among

those experiencing homelessness (Henry, Watt, et al. 2020, Levin and Botts

2019).

o Relatively high homelessness for people in marginalized groups results from

systemic inequalities in access to education, stable jobs, and affordable housing

(Shinn and Khadduri 2020).

• People experiencing homelessness and their advocates claim that homelessness is a social

problem, as well as prominent politicians like Governor Newsom.

o People experiencing homelessness and their advocates have claimed that

homelessness is a major social problem for many years. They also claim that the

government does not adequately support people experiencing homelessness and

sometimes makes their lives harder by criminalizing camping in public space

(The Village in Oakland n.d.)

o Governor Newsom dedicated his State of the State Address to growing

homelessness in California, recognizing the scale of the problem and proposing

new programs to address it (Baldassari 2020, Hawkins 2020).

o In various public opinion polls, most people think homelessness is a serious

problem. But many people are more concerned about removing people

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experiencing homelessness from their neighborhood than ending homelessness

overall (Kendall 2020).

• Mental health and substance abuse challenges are more common among people

experiencing homelessness than the population overall, but these issues cannot explain

California’s high rate of homelessness or its growth over time.

o Some claimsmakers, including Governor Newsom, attribute homelessness to

mental health or substance abuse challenges (Baldassari 2020).

o In 2019, only 26% of people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco said

that mental health issues or drug/alcohol use was their primary cause of

homelessness (Applied Survey Research 2019).

o Several research studies have found that mental health and substance abuse issues

often result from homelessness, rather than cause it (Lee, Tyler and Wright 2010,

Shinn and Khadduri 2020).

• High housing costs contribute to increases in homelessness, and California’s housing

costs have increased significantly in recent years.

o Advocates and researchers point to rising housing costs, combined with a lack of

well-paying job opportunities, as a major cause of California’s high and rising

homelessness (Bay Area Council Economic Institute 2019, Lin, et al. 2018).

o In 2019, 78% of people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco said not

being able to afford rent or find housing was their biggest obstacle to transitioning

out of homelessness (Applied Survey Research 2019).

o In a study comparing hundreds of geographic areas across the country,

homelessness was greater in places with higher housing costs even after adjusting

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for other local factors like incomes, crime and drug use, and assistance programs

(Fargo, et al. 2013). Other studies have shown that homelessness increases over

time as housing costs increase (Shinn and Khadduri 2020).

o Affordable housing has become increasingly scarce in California for multiple

reasons. Housing costs increased partly due to a growth of high-income workers

in many cities, like San Jose. Housing costs also increased because new housing

construction has not kept pace with population growth (Bay Area Council

Economic Institute 2019).

o Many people, including Gov. Newsom, worry that homelessness with profoundly

increase in California due to the massive employment losses during the pandemic.

There has been a moratorium on evictions, and its expiration could lead to a

sudden and large increase in homelessness (Hawkins 2020).

Bibliography

Applied Survey Research. 2019. San Francisco Homeless Count & Survey Comprehensive

Report 2019. San Jose, CA: Housing Instability Research Department.

Baldassari, Erin. 2020. "California Gov. Newsom Lays Out Framework To Address

Homelessness." NPR, February 21: https://www.npr.org/2020/02/21/808016586/calif-

gov-newsom-lays-out-framework-to-address-homelessness.

Bay Area Council Economic Institute. 2019. "Bay Area Homelessness: A Regional View of a

Regional Crisis." San Francisco, CA.

Fargo, Jamison, Ellen Munley, Thomas Byrne, Ann Elizabeth Montgomery, and Dennis

Culhane. 2013. "Community-Level Characteristics Associated With Variation in Rates of

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Homelessness Among Families and Single Adults." American Journal of Public Health

S340-S347.

Hawkins, Mackenzie. 2020. "Half a Billion in Half a Year: The Ticking Clock on California's

Newest Homeless Plan." The Sacramento Bee, July 1:

https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article243886562.html.

Henry, Meghan, Rian Watt, Anna Mahathey, Jillian Ouellette, and Aubrey Sitler. 2020. The 2019

Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress. Washington, D.C.: The U.S.

Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Kendall, Marisa. 2020. "When It Comes to the Homeless, the Bay Area's Compassion Has a

Limit." The East Bay Times, March 8: https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/03/08/when-

it-comes-to-the-homeless-the-bay-areas-compassion-has-a-limit/.

Lee, Barrett, Kimberly Tyler, and James Wright. 2010. "The New Homelessness Revisted."

Annual Review of Sociology 36: 501-521.

Levin, Matt, and Jackie Botts. 2019. "California's Homelessness Crisis-and Possible Solutions-

Explained." Cal Matters, December 31: https://calmatters.org/explainers/californias-

homelessness-crisis-explained/.

Lin, Margaretta, Kaily Heitz, Bo Chung, and Dominque Fernandez. 2018. Housing Oakland's

Unhoused: Community-Based Solutions to House All of Oakland's Unhoused Now.

Oakland, CA: The Housing & Dignity Project.

Loftus-Farren, Zoe. 2011. "Tent Cities: An Interim Solution to Homelessness and Affordable

Housing Shortages in the United States." California Law Review 1037-1081.

Shinn, Marybeth, and Jill Khadduri. 2020. In the Midst of Plenty: Homelessness and What to Do

About It. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Blackwell.

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The Village in Oakland. n.d. Housing & Dignity Village Demands. Accessed October 23, 2020.

https://thevillageinoakland.org/housing-dignity-village/.