Oral Presentations - Session 1A: UC 326

Author Information

Robert M. HoweFollow

Presentation Type

Presentation

Faculty Mentor’s Full Name

Kathy Kuipers

Faculty Mentor’s Department

Sociology

Abstract / Artist's Statement

In Missoula, there are dozens of new apartments being built today, yet the homeless population continues to grow. The purpose of this research is to better understand what issues will keep a person out of a home and on the streets and to provide insights into alternatives to building more low-income homes. This project asks: what are the barriers to housing in Missoula for people who are already homeless or on the verge of being homeless? In order to understand what those barriers are, I will explore the perceptions that landlords hold toward the homeless population. Data will be collected from an available sample of local landlords, property managers and property developers. Additionally, I use referrals to landlords who are willing to explain their experience with the homeless population. The data consists of responses to in-depth interviews, consisting of personal experiences and suggestions for possible ways to make renting to this population more appealing. I analyze the data by searching for common themes in the interviews that reflect landlords' perceptions of homeless people, landlords' concerns about renting to people who are already homeless, and their suggestions for how renting to homeless individuals can be successful. These results will contribute to my community and to the people who are most affected by access to rental housing. I plan to share the results with Missoula’s current stakeholders, primarily social service agencies that are focused on the prevention of homelessness.

Category

Social Sciences

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Apr 11th, 9:00 AM Apr 11th, 9:20 AM

Barriers to Housing in Missoula Montana

In Missoula, there are dozens of new apartments being built today, yet the homeless population continues to grow. The purpose of this research is to better understand what issues will keep a person out of a home and on the streets and to provide insights into alternatives to building more low-income homes. This project asks: what are the barriers to housing in Missoula for people who are already homeless or on the verge of being homeless? In order to understand what those barriers are, I will explore the perceptions that landlords hold toward the homeless population. Data will be collected from an available sample of local landlords, property managers and property developers. Additionally, I use referrals to landlords who are willing to explain their experience with the homeless population. The data consists of responses to in-depth interviews, consisting of personal experiences and suggestions for possible ways to make renting to this population more appealing. I analyze the data by searching for common themes in the interviews that reflect landlords' perceptions of homeless people, landlords' concerns about renting to people who are already homeless, and their suggestions for how renting to homeless individuals can be successful. These results will contribute to my community and to the people who are most affected by access to rental housing. I plan to share the results with Missoula’s current stakeholders, primarily social service agencies that are focused on the prevention of homelessness.