Homelessness and Public Policy Priorities

Public policy issues related to homelessness and their priorities are reviewed. It is argued that the three most important policy issues are housing, income, and health. Cutting across these priority areas are the special problems of homeless children and youth, both in families and alone. Alcohol, drug abuse, and mental health services, although needed and effective, will neither stop nor slow the rate of increase in homelessness experienced in recent years. Psychologists, in emphasizing aspects of homelessness that they are expert in, are deflected from variables determining the prevalence and incidence of homelessness. The latter variables must be regarded as the priority policy issues in homelessness.