Changing homelessness services: revanchism, 'professionalisation' and resistance

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Urban Studies
• Sociology

Background:

• The international prominence of homelessness is growing.
• The revanchist thesis suggests coerced exclusion and abjection contribute to homelessness.
• The reality of homelessness services is more nuanced than theoretical frameworks suggest.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the complexity of homelessness service provision in England.
• To examine how different types of homelessness service providers engage with or resist revanchist processes.
• To explore the dual role of service providers in both advancing and counteracting revanchist projects.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study involving interviews.
• Conducted interviews with 18 representatives from 11 homelessness service providers in an English city.
• Analysis of provider characteristics, categorizing them as 'insider' (larger, professional) or 'outsider' (smaller, amateur).

Main Results:

• Homelessness service providers were categorized into 'insider' and 'outsider' types, mirroring previous research.
• Contrary to expectations, neither 'insider' nor 'outsider' providers exclusively advanced or counteracted revanchist agendas.
• Both types of organizations demonstrated actions that could be interpreted as simultaneously supporting and opposing revanchist objectives.

Conclusions:

• The application of the revanchist thesis to homelessness requires a more complex understanding of service provider actions.
• The dichotomy between 'insider' and 'outsider' providers does not neatly predict their engagement with revanchist processes.
• Homelessness service providers play a multifaceted role, capable of both reinforcing and mitigating exclusionary practices.