Explain and discuss the concepts of place attachment and place identity in reference to the homeless population. Cite examples of what you have learned about the problems associated with people who do not have housing.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Broken place attachment has been associated with physical health problems, sadness, disorientation, longing, and lower grades in children. We should also consider the long-term consequences of early experiences, such as homelessness or frequent movement between foster homes, in which no stable place of attachment forms or that result in a negative place attachment. Other researchers have studied the ways that homeless people use public parks and the attachments they make to parks and other public spaces. In one study, homeless individuals used the park as a convenient and trustworthy place to share information about employment, housing, food distribution, and shelters. City officials often sent work crews to disrupt the places where the homeless persons congregated and discouraged churches and non-profit organizations from engaging in food distribution in the park. The strategies used by the homeless community to avoid being removed from the park focused on following the rules as they understood them: they didn't lie down on the benches, walk on the grassy areas, litter, or panhandle (something that was allowed in Jackson Square in New Orleans). They saw the park as a safe place because of the presence of police, guards, and close-circuit cameras, and they valued that safety.