The transnational comparative analysis of social policies is a challenging endeavour for researchers, going beyond the description of the "letter of the law" or policy document regarding similarities and differences concerning content, also requiring the understanding of the dimensions associated with formation and implementation. The overall aim of HOME_EU homelessness policy study is to compare Homelessness Policies from 8 EU Countries on the reduction and reversion of this prevailing social phenomenon, with a particular concern related with the presence of Housing First programmatic measures. The study is composed of a qualitative phase with policy documental analysis and a quantitative phase with a survey sample survey for policy stakeholders on policy implementation. The chapter also offers a critical appraisal on limitations and discusses and recommendations for future research. ; info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
peer-reviewed ; Background Addressing Citizen's perspectives on homelessness is crucial for the design of effective and durable policy responses, and available research in Europe is not yet substantive. We aim to explore citizens' opinions about homelessness and to explain the differences in attitudes within the general population of eight European countries: France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden. Methods A nationally representative telephone survey of European citizens was conducted in 2017. Three domains were investigated: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices about homelessness. Based on a multiple correspondence analysis (MCA), a generalized linear model for clustered and weighted samples was used to probe the associations between groups with opposing attitudes. Results Response rates ranged from 30.4% to 33.5% (N = 5,295). Most respondents (57%) had poor knowledge about homelessness. Respondents who thought the government spent toomuch on homelessness, people who are homeless should be responsible for housing, people remain homeless by choice, or homelessness keeps capabilities/empowerment intact (regarding meals, family contact, and access to work) clustered together (negative attitudes, 30%). Respondents who were willing to pay taxes, welcomed a shelter, or acknowledged people who are homeless may lack some capabilities (i.e. agreed on discrimination in hiring) made another cluster (positive attitudes, 58%). Respondents living in semi-urban or urban areas (ORs 1.33 and 1.34) and those engaged in practices to support people who are homeless (ORs > 1.4; p<0.005) were more likely to report positive attitudes, whereas those from France and Poland (p<0.001) were less likely to report positive attitudes. Conclusion The majority of European citizens hold positive attitudes towards people who are homeless, however there remain significant differences between and within countries. Although it is clear that there is strong support for increased government action and ...
