Scope

This Research Guide examines the urgent and growing national problem of homeless adults and families in America. It covers the living conditions of homeless people, the causes of their condition, and relief programs.

Overview

Encyclopedia of Homelessness
College Library Reference Collection: HV 4493 E53 2004

Encyclopedia of Psychology
College Library Reference Collection: BF 31 E52 2000
Refer to "Homelessness" volume 4, pages 142-145

Encyclopedia of Applied Ethics
College Library Reference Collection: BJ 63 A66 1998
Refer to "Homelessness" volume 2, pages 583-586

Encyclopedia of Sociology
College Library Reference Collection: HM 17 E5 1992
Refer to "Homelessness" volume 2, pages 843-848

Encyclopedia of Drugs, Alcohol &Addictive Behavior
College Library Reference Collection: HV 5804 E53 2001

Encyclopedia of Social Work
College Library Reference Collection: HV 35 S6 1995
Refer to volume 2, pages 1330-1346

Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center 1990 - to date (updated daily)
Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center (OVRC) includes the acclaimed social issues series published by Greenhaven Press, as well as core reference content from other Gale and Macmillan Reference USA sources and provides viewpoint articles, topic overviews, statistics, primary documents, links to websites, and full-text magazine and newspaper articles.

Finding Journal and News Articles

Below are links to databases that cover this subject area. The truncation symbol for all of them is an asterisk (*) unless otherwise noted.

Sample searches for databases:

homelessness
homeless families
homeless and mentally ill
homeless persons
homeless women
runaways
homeless children
homeless outreach program?
poor and housing

Recommended Databases:

Academic Search 1984 - to date (updated daily)
This library database indexes approximately 3,100 popular magazines and academic journals and provides the full-text articles from approximately 1,000 journals. Basic instructions for Academic Search

CQ Researcher November 1991 - to date (updated weekly)
Contains weekly reports from Congressional Quarterly that cover the most current and controversial issues. Basic instructions for CQ Researcher

ProQuest Research Library 1988 - to date (updated daily)
Indexes over 2,000 general-interest and academic journals. Nearly 1,000 periodicals are full-text. Dates vary, but many full-text journals go back to 1988. Basic instructions for ProQuest Research Library

Readers' Guide Full Text and Retrospective 1890 - to date (updated monthly)
Indexes 240 popular magazines in a wide range of subject areas. Full-text coverage of 131 titles begins with 1994. Basic instructions for Readers' Guide Full Text

Social Sciences Full Text 1983 - to date (updated monthly)
Indexes more than 415 scholarly journals in economics, politics, public administration, public health, sociology, criminology, environmental and urban studies, psychology and anthropology. Basic instructions for Social Sciences Full Text

More Databases:

Education Full Text 1983 - to date (updated monthly)
Indexes more than 400 scholarly and trade periodicals and selected monographs in education, educational psychology, college life, teacher education and evaluation. Basic instructions for Education Full Text

GenderWatch 1980 - to date (updated quarterly)
A women's and gender issues database with full-text coverage of most journals. Basic instructions for GenderWatch

Lexis/Nexis Academic Universe Dates Vary (updated daily)
Contains the full-text articles from U.S. and international newspapers (including the New York Times, June 1980 - to date), as well as some news and business magazines and trade journals. The truncation symbol is an exclamation point (!). Basic instructions for Lexis/Nexis Academic Universe

Public Affairs Information Service (PAIS) 1972 - to date (updated quarterly)
Indexes journal articles, books, government documents, statistical compilations, committee reports, directories, serials, reports of public, intergovernmental and private organizations, and most other forms of printed literature from all over the world. The full-text of the articles is not available in the database. Basic instructions for PAIS

Finding Books

MadCat
Books on homelessness can be found in MadCat, the UW-Madison library catalog.

Sample keyword searches:

homelessness and "united states"
homeless? and women
homeless? and alcohol
runaway and youth
homelessness and http (to find electronic resources)

Internet Sites

Homelessness
http://aspe.hhs.gov/homeless/index.html
Information from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services including a "Profile of Homelessness".

U.S. Dept. of Housing & Urban Development (HUD)
http://www.hhs.gov/homeless/
Information on housing, food, health care, homeless veterans and how to help the homeless.

National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty
http://www.nlchp.org
Information on homelessness causes and solutions, housing options, health, rights, and substance abuse.

National Coalition for the Homeless
http://www.nationalhomeless.org
Focuses on housing justice, economic justice, health care justice and civil rights

National Coalition for Homeless Veterans
http://www.nchv.org/
Statistics, legislation and news about homeless veterans.

Videos

Repetition Compulsion [videorecording], focuses on homeless women.
College Library Women's Collection: HV6626.2 R36 1997

What's Wrong With This Picture? [videorecording], by Constance Bosley Calhoun. Boston: Fanlight Productions, 1995.
College Library Main Collection: HV 4506 M5 C35 1995

Organizations

National Coalition for the Homeless
http://www.nationalhomeless.org
1012 Fourteenth St., NW #600
Washington, DC 20005-3410
phone: (202) 737-6444

National Coalition for Homeless Veterans
http://www.nchv.org/
333 ½ Pennsylvania Avenue SE
Washington, DC 20003-1148
phone: (888) 233-8582

Department of Veterans Affairs
http://www.va.gov/
810 Vermont Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20420

U.S. Dept. of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) - Local Office
http://www.hud.gov/local/index.cfm?state=wi
Henry S. Reuss Federal Plaza
310 West Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 1380
Milwaukee, WI 53203-2289
phone: (414) 693-6333