Citation

Marr MD. Ann. Am. Acad. Polit. Soc. Sci. 2021; 693(1): 301-320.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0002716221997025

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Service hubs are neighborhoods where homelessness and efforts to address it cluster. Are these "skid rows" jails without bars, or are there ways that service hubs bolster residents' feelings of security about their lives? To address these questions, I analyze ethnographic interview data from sixty residents of four hubs--Skid Row, Los Angeles; Overtown, Miami; Kamagasaki, Osaka; and San'ya, Tokyo. I find that in these service hubs, residents' ontological security is supported by a combination of engagement with organizations, access to subsidized housing and income, and ties with family and friends. However, this sense of security can be undermined by negative experiences with police and crime, poor sanitation, welfare and aid bureaucracy, and redevelopment projects. I argue that these threats should be addressed to enhance the strengths of service hubs, which can provide important insights for efforts toward more even geographic distribution of housing and aid.

Language: en

Keywords

fuzzy set/qualitative comparative analysis; homelessness; ontological security; organizations; service hubs; social ties