Homelessness and Social Work: An Intersectional Approach

Drawing on intersectional theorising, Homelessness and Social Work highlights the diversities and complexities of homelessness and social work research, policy and practice. It invites social work students, practitioners, policy makers and academics to re-examine the subject by exploring how homelessness and social work are constituted through intersecting and unequal power relations.

The causes of homelessness are frequently associated with individualist explanations, without examining the broader political and intersecting social inequalities that shape how social problems such as homelessness are constructed and responded to by social workers. In reflecting on factors such as Indigeneity, race, ethnicity, gender, class, age, sexuality, ability and other markers of identity the author seeks to:

• construct a new intersectional framework for understanding social work and homelessness;

• provide a critical analysis of social work responses to homelessness;

• challenge how homelessness is represented in social work research, social policy and social work practice; and

• incorporate the stories of people experiencing homelessness.

The book will be of interest to undergraduate and higher research degree students in the fields of intersectionality, homelessness, sociology, public policy and social work.

Carole Zufferey is a senior lecturer at the School of Psychology, Social Work and Social Policy, University of South Australia. She has a social work background. Prior to entering academia, she practised in the fields of community welfare, child protection and youth justice in remote Western Australia; aged care and disability in London, UK; and mental health and homelessness in Adelaide, South Australia. She has published numerous journal articles and book chapters on social work, homelessness and intersectionality. Her recent research projects include exploring lived experiences of and diverse perspectives on home and homelessness, and the impact of domestic violence on women’s citizenship, including on their mental health, housing, employment and social participation.