Losing the housing game. The leveling effects of substance abuse

Analysis of the housing dynamics and individual characteristics of a sample of 670 participants in the New Orleans Homeless Substance Abusers Program reveals substantial diversity with respect to income, education, and occupational attainment. Nevertheless, drug consumption and dependence serve as socioeconomic levelers, dissolving otherwise potentially critical differences in human-capital and economic capacities. The need to focus concurrently on both structural and individual causes of homelessness is emphasized.