The Involvement of Business Elites in the Management of Homelessness: Towards a Privatization of Service Provision for Homeless People?

Although the influence of local urban elites on urban planning is well established in urban studies and geography, the ways in which business and property owners take part in the management of homelessness has received far less attention. This article focuses on Portland (OR) in the United States as a means of understanding the motivations that underlie the role of the private sector and its impact on public policies. To this end, I focus on the support by Portland's downtown Business Improvement District of homeless outreach programs, and on the funding of two homeless shelters by business elites / philanthropists. I argue that although public authorities have different views on the actions to be taken to end homelessness, business elites often manage to bring initially-reluctant public authorities to support their projects in what might be termed a forced-march cooperation. I also highlight the versatility of the private sector and business elites’ participation in homelessness management, given that the outreach programs they support and the homeless facilities they fund provide services for the homeless while simultaneously removing them from visible public space. In this sense, the involvement of business and property owners is also a way for them to protect their own interests.

Residential Mobility of a Cohort of Homeless People in Times of Crisis: COVID-19 Pandemic in an European Metropolis

Most vulnerable individuals are particularly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study takes place in a large city in France. The aim of this study is to describe the mobility of the homeless population at the begin-ning of the health crisis and to analyze its impact in terms of COVID-19 prevalence. From June to August 2020 and September to December 2020, 1272 homeless people were invited to be tested for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and virus in and completed questionnaires. Our data show that homeless populations are sociologically dif-ferent depending on where they live. We show that people living on the street were most likely to be relocated to emergency shelters than other inhabitants. Some neighborhoods are points of attraction for homeless peo-ple in the city while others emptied during the health crisis, which had consequences for virus circulation. People with a greater number of different dwellings reported became more infected. This first study of the mo-bility and epidemiology of homeless people in time of pandemic provides unique information about mobility mapping, sociological factors of this mobility, mobility at different scales and epidemiological consequences. We suggest that homeless policies need to be radically transformed since actual model exposes people to infection in emergency.

Mental illness due to homelessness: a qualitative case study in Melaka, Malaysia

Background: Extreme poverty can result in people barely surviving with poor living standards to the extent of living on the streets, often in fear. With limited access to healthcare services and a clean environment, they are more vulnerable to life adversities. Highly stressful living conditions like these can cause mental illnesses such as depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, psychological distress, and others. Purpose: This research aimed to investigate factors that led to the development of mental illness among homeless people under extreme poverty. Design/methodology/approach: This was a qualitative case study that involved a face-to-face interview with a key informant at the Pertubuhan Kebajikan Villa Harapan Melaka (Villa Harapan). Villa Harapan is a licensed caretaker centre established by the Department of Welfare, Melaka that provides shelter to homeless people with mental illness. Findings: Homeless people suffered from mental disturbances due to loss of jobs, lack of income, broken families, separation from their children, and other vulnerabilities. They are not getting appropriate care and attention for their problem and sickness. Non-supportive family, extreme poverty, and chronic stress were the main factors that led to mental illness among Villa Harapan residents. Research limitations: The study focused on the mental illness of dispossessed people who were brought to Villa Harapan by the Welfare Department. Originality/value: This was an empirical case study on mental illness among homeless people at a care centre known as Villa Harapan.

Exploratory attitude survey of homeless persons regarding telecare services in shelters providing mid- and long-term accommodation: The importance of trust

Background With the expansion of digital health, it is imperative to consider intervention techniques in order not to be the cause of even more social health inequalities in underserved populations struggling with chronic diseases. Telemedicine solutions for homeless persons might compensate for shortcomings in access to valuable health services in different settings. The main aim of our research was to examine the attitudes and openness of homeless persons regarding telecare on a Hungarian sample. Methods Quantitative survey among homeless people (n = 98) was completed in 4 shelters providing mid- and long-term accommodation in Budapest, Hungary. Attitudes regarding healthcare service accessibility and telecare were measured by a self-developed questionnaire of the research team. Telecare attitude comparison was made with data of a Hungarian weighted reference group of non-homeless persons recruited from 2 primary care units (n = 110). Results A significant fraction of homeless people with mid- or long-term residency in homeless shelters did not oppose the use of telecare via live online video consultation and there was no difference compared to the national reference group (averages of 3.09 vs. 3.15, respectively). Results of the homeless group indicate that those more satisfied with healthcare services, in general, manifest more openness to telecare. It is clearly demonstrated by the multivariate analysis that those participants in the homeless group who had problems getting health care in the last year definitely preferred in-person doctor-patient consultations. Conclusion Digital health technologies offer a potentially important new pathway for the prevention and treatment of chronic conditions among homeless persons. Based on the attitudes towards telecare, initiating an on-site telecare program for mid- and long-term residents of homeless shelters might enable better care continuity. Our results draw attention to the key factors including building trust in the implementation of such programs among underserved and other vulnerable patient groups.

Setting up a drug treatment service in a COVID-protect hotel in inner London

At the start of the UK's COVID-19 lockdown, the government announced an ‘Everyone In’ strategy to get homeless people off the streets and into accommodation. An Inner London borough opened a hotel to house up to 100 homeless people to address their health needs. Local healthcare providers were asked to provide in-reach services. This article describes the setting up and delivery of a drug treatment service to provide substitute opioid therapy. Thirty-five people were taken into drug treatment in the hotel between April and December 2020. During this time various challenges had to be addressed including same-day prescribing, delivering and supervising controlled drugs and responding to drug dealing in the hotel. Partnership work between the different healthcare providers was essential for the success of this project and offers a model that could be used going forward to deliver comprehensive wrap-around services to hard-to-engage individuals with multiple health needs.

Digitalization as a Key Issue of the Circular Economy to Promote Sustainability

Digitalization is a topic of circular economy in the context of the ReSolve framework. The use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the context of social organizations can provide added value in order to foster integrative solutions. The aim of this chapter is aligned with the literature about ICT, circular economy, and sustainability to present the design of a prototype that fits homeless person integration strategies and addresses concerns in the various dimensions of sustainability supported by ICT. The authors use the design science research methodology in order to communicate the prototype results for the integration of homeless people. The prototype will be developed under the assumption of use in an organizational context by a multidisciplinary team, aiming to allow the cooperation of the various entities involved. This is a contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The main results of this research suggest how to develop, in partnership with local organizations, solutions to solve social problems supported by a sustainable perspective.

Food Insecurity and Literacy Learning

Food insecurity occurs when there is no consistent access to enough food. There are different reasons for food shortage leading to food insecurity. As per Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory, food is a basic need and must be met. Lack of availability of food develops food insecurity among adults and children. Food insecurity results in physical and mental health issues. Food insecurity is evident among some of the homeless people. To overcome food insecurity, literacy learning plays a major role. Families and children suffering from food insecurity need support and education.

EPIDEMICS IN KYIV COVERED IN THE NEWSPAPER PERIODICALS OF THE CITY OF THE LATE 19TH – EARLY 20TH CENTURIES

The article examines the coverage of the sanitary and epidemiological situation in the city in the late 19th – early 20th centuries in the Kyiv newspapers “Kievlyanin”, “Kievskie Vesti”, “Kievskaya Mysl”, “Yuzhnaya Kopeyka”. The processing of newspaper materials made it possible to identify problematic areas of work of the city authorities in the sanitary and communal spheres, namely inadequate control over observance of health standards in urban markets, failure to solve the problem of natural dumps and homeless people, illegal alcohol sales, lack of timely repair of roads, construction of water supply and sewerage. These factors were the main causes of epidemics of typhus, measles, tuberculosis, smallpox, cholera. Analysis of statistics on the pages of periodicals allows tracing the number of people affected by epidemics, identifying typical diseases for each district of the city, caused by their geographical location, population, location of facilities such as prisons, bazaars, cemeteries, hospitals.