13 - Politicking Homelessness in Atlanta: How does Atlanta Responds to its Homeless Population?

Abstract

The ethnography performed intended to provide a balanced and integrated perspective of how Atlanta's governmental entities, non-profit organizations, and activist collectives engage and counteract its visibly poor or homeless population. Through primary data collection via semi-structured interviews and participant observation, the study conducted provides a concise and comprehensive presentation of the dominant institutions, interpretation on the cause of homelessness, and it’s solutions to visible poverty. It was vital to contextualize the research given Atlanta's unique history of public housing (de)construction, while granting the individuals dealing with homelessness autonomy in the discussion. To conclude this ethnography explored and expounded on the variation in opinion, as well as the complexities of bureaucracy associated with power dynamics within homeless activism. The impact and longevity of efforts made to resolve homelessness was largely determined by the political relationships among institutions, at the center facilitating both relationships and impact was the flow of money. It was apparent the importance of money and political relationships that largely facilitated the impact and longevity of the efforts performed. Regardless of the voices and views of the institutions, this study implies that granting space to the most marginalized is necessary in order to center their struggles and allow them to self-determine their futures as citizens, and humans on the fringe of poverty. Conducting further research is required to obtain a holistic perspective on not only the detriments of homelessness but most importantly the solutions.This study will be expanded during the Spring 2019 semester to center the perspective of homeless individuals with the aim of gaining further insight into the approaches of the institutions involved.