Public knowledge,attitudes, and beliefs about homeless people: Evidence for compassion fatigue?

Media reports suggest that the public is becoming impatient with the homeless—that so-called “compassion fatigue” has gripped the nation. This characterization of public sentiment could have important policy consequences—restrictive measures can be justified by growing public impatience, and progressive housing policies seem infeasible within a hostile climate of opinion. But evidence to support the compassion fatigue notion is anecdotal. We examine the issue by tracking the results of public opinion polls and by reporting detailed evidence from a nationwide random-digit dial telephone survey (N=1,507) concerning knowledge attitudes and beliefs about homeless people. To be sure, the public sees homelessness as an undesirable social problem and wants something done about it. However, although the homeless are clearly stigmatized, there is little evidence to suggest that the public has lost compassion and is unwilling to support policies to help homeless people.     

Social integration and social support in a life crisis: Effects of macrosocial change in east Germany

This process evaluation study examined what variables moderate and mediate treatment effects on days in stable housing and client satisfaction for homeless mentally ill clients. In general, demographic characteristics did not moderate either outcome variable. Housing contacts, entitlement contacts, mental health contacts, and supportive services were significant mediators of the treatment effect on days in stable housing. Program contacts, mental health contacts, and supportive services were significant mediators of client satisfaction. The authors thank the National Institute of Mental Health for their financial support (MH43248, MH42357) for this project, Dorothy Gano for word processing and editorial assistance, and Gitry Heydebrand, Melissa Dannelet, Betty Tempelhoff, Ruth Smith, and Laeeq Ahmad for assisting in the interviews of clients. We are also appreciative of the cooperation given to us by the staffs of Malcolm Bliss Mental Health Center, St. Patrick's Center, the Community Advocacy and Support Alliance Program, and the St. Louisemergency shelters. Finally, we thank all of the participants in this study; we hope that their homelessness has now ended. (The conclusions presented in this paper are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect official National Institute for Mental Health policy.)     

Opposite strain-dependent differences for intermale aggressive behavior elicited by individual housing and housing with a female in the mouse

Male mice of the C57BL/6 strain show a significant increase in aggression toward a nonaggressive male conspecific following 72 hr of individual housing. However, this increase was no longer evident following 2 weeks of individual housing. When housed with a female, C57BL/6 mice show significantly more aggression than singly housed mice of the same strain after 72 hr as well as 2, 4, 8 weeks of differential housing. Male C57BL/6 mice housed with a female also show significantly higher levels of aggression than DBA/2 mice living in the same housing condition after 4 or 8 weeks of differential housing. Finally, male DBA/2 mice individually housed for 8 weeks are significantly more aggressive than mice of the same strain housed with a female for the same time. These results indicate that the increase in aggressive behavior observed following isolation and cohabitation with a female in the mouse is not the same phenomenon. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Disconnections of African American Public Housing Residents: Connections to Physical Activity, Dietary Habits and Obesity

African American (AA) and low SES populations report poor health behaviors and outcomes. This study aimed to increase understanding of barriers to participating in healthful behaviors and programs in AA residents of public housing. Twenty two apparently healthy, AA residents (50% female, M = 43.9 years) completed in depth interviews, which were taped, transcribed and analyzed using a constant comparison approach. Residents demonstrated some awareness of health recommendations, but described limited adherence. Physical activity for recreation was reported as primarily for youth, with adults engaging in limited physical activity (primarily incidental to other activities). Barriers reported by residents were both personal and environmental. Few residents were aware of local neighborhood opportunities for physical activity or healthful eating. Future efforts should focus on increasing understanding of health promoting behaviors and awareness and efficacy of residents to connect with the resources of their surrounding communities.     

Living Independently as an Ethnic Minority Elder: A Relational Perspective on the Issues of Aging and Ethnic Minorities

This study examines the residential experiences of Korean ethnic elders in affordable housing in the greater Chicago area, focusing on how patterns of social relationships that evolved around a geographical location and its urban infrastructure enabled the elders to achieve their desire for residential independence. Based on the theoretical concept of activity settings and social capital, the study suggests an integrated theoretical model where social capital is understood as an embedded asset of an activity setting. Methodologically, this study uses a combined method of qualitative interviews with 138 Korean elders in affordable housing in the greater Chicago area and a geographic analysis of their social relationships in order to present associations among social relationships, urban infrastructures, and the shared value of independence within their residential communities. The study findings indicate that the elders mobilized ethnic businesses, urban infrastructures, and the collective efficacy of groups to achieve the shared goal of maintaining residential independence. In each community, a cultural broker acted as an important bridge between the community of ethnic minorities and the larger social networks coexisting within the community boundary. The relational perspective as a potent ground for understanding and further solving the issues of aging and ethnicity is highlighted.     

Locked Up,Then Locked Out

SUMMARY

Women prisoners face tremendous psychological, emotional, and physical hardships inside prison. These include isolation, separation from their families and children, lack of medical care and general abuse of their basic human rights. When they are released from prison, women confront institutional as well as psychological barriers to a successful return to their communities     

Are the Religiously Observant Discriminated Against in the Rental Housing Market? Experimental Evidence from Israel

In this article, I test for discrimination against the religiously observant in the Israeli rental housing market. I perform a correspondence study where half of the requests have a religious signal (“basad” written at the top of the request), while the other half do not. Because the requests are identical otherwise, differences in call‐back rates represent the causal effect of writing “basad” at the top of the request. I find that requests with a religious signal receive 12 percent fewer positive responses than requests with no such signal, with this differential being greater with female landlords and in cities with more left‐leaning voters, higher mean incomes, and higher education levels.     

Distribution and Neighborhood Correlates of Sober Living House Locations in Los Angeles

Sober living houses (SLHs) are alcohol and drug‐free living environments for individuals in recovery. The goal of this study was to map the distribution of SLHs in Los Angeles (LA) County, California (N = 260) and examine neighborhood correlates of SLH density. Locations of SLHs were geocoded and linked to tract‐level Census data as well as to publicly available information on alcohol outlets and recovery resources. Neighborhoods with SLHs differed from neighborhoods without them on measures of socioeconomic disadvantage and accessibility of recovery resources. In multivariate, spatially lagged hurdle models stratified by monthly fees charged (less than $1400/month vs. $1400/month or greater), minority composition, and accessibility of treatment were associated with the presence of affordable SLHs. Accessibility of treatment was also associated with the number of affordable SLHs in those neighborhoods. Higher median housing value and accessibility of treatment were associated with whether a neighborhood had high‐cost SLHs, and lower population density was associated with the number of high‐cost SLHs in those neighborhoods. Neighborhood factors are associated with the availability of SLHs, and research is needed to better understand how these factors affect resident outcomes, as well as how SLHs may affect neighborhoods over time.