Abstract
Statement of the Problem
The perceptual world and the personal and group identity of the American homeless population is an almost unexplored academic subject area. What is the interior life of homeless people? What are the homeless thinking? What do the homeless say to each other about their condition? How do the homeless regard both themselves and the world that surrounds them? What is their identity?
Source of Data
Participant observation used to record life in a large open access homeless shelter.
Conclusions Reached
The homeless population of the l980's and 1990's lives under more severe deprivation than previous generations of impoverished or extremely poor Americans. The homeless are a demeaned and stigmatized social group that retreats to within themselves and to within homeless groups for psychological and social support. Though their world is deprived of the most basic elements possessed by domiciled individuals it can be said that the human spirit of homeless people is alive and well.