Tapping into the culture of homelessness

This article describes the problem of homelessness from a cultural perspective. Three health and human service agencies located in Pennsylvania were investigated to ascertain whether the needs of the homeless as a culture were being met. The findings of this qualitative investigation conclude that the strategies of survival inherent in the culture of homelessness are rarely considered by social and health agencies in providing services to the homeless. Implications for improving health and other services provided for the homeless from a cultural perspective are discussed in the concluding remarks of the report.