A Brief History of Urban Homelessness in the United States
Abstract
This reviews the emergence of homelessness as an urban problem in the United States. Four historical periods across US history are examined to explore narratives about homelessness, responses to it, gendered and racialized aspects, and its urban emergence in the United States: (a) the Great Depression of the 1930s; (b) the post-World War II period and the 1950s and 1960s; (c) the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s; and (d) the 1980s and 1990s through today. At the end of the 20th century and beginning of the 21st century, the erosion of social welfarist principles of government gave way to a discernable neoliberal formation that was deeply racialized.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Homelessness and Social Issues
Urban Planning and Governance
Urban and Rural Development Challenges
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Routledge eBooks
- Pages
- 19–42
- Publication date
- 24 February 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Book chapter