Social diagnosis and characterization of homeless people in Spain: Analysis from a gender perspective

Abstract

AbstractHomelessness represents the most extreme social exclusion and vulnerability conditions. It is urgent to perform a social diagnosis that explores the sociodemographic and descriptive characteristics of homeless people who make a living in Spain in order to identify their specific needs, particularities of the situation of women and strategies to improve their quality of life. Through a sample of 215 homeless people (Córdoba city, Spain) a structured interview using a guided questionnaire was conducted. A descriptive statistics analysis was performed. The results show that although there are similar characteristics in terms of mean age and level of education, there are also striking differences between men and women. More women report to be mothers, have a partner in an attempt, among other things, to seek protection in such extreme conditions, and a lower presence of women on public roads is the result of their avoiding sleeping in the open or in places where they may be exposed to violent situations. The knowledge of the different trajectories and characteristics of homeless people and, more specifically, the group of women, may be considered when designing public policies and allocating social resources.

Keywords

• homelessness
• occult homelessness
• social exclusion
• gender
• mobile phone and internet usage