| Are homeless persons our neighbors or nuisances? The literature thus far is unclear as to whether a welfare magnet effect exists with regards to the homeless. Do services attract the homeless? What is clear is that some municipalities are looking to limit services they provide to the homeless or criminalize their existence altogether. As established by the literature, municipalities often deal with the homeless by limiting their right to space or by not providing full service coverage. Lack of coverage and criminalization could be in part influenced by the belief in welfare magnet theory, elevating the importance of research assessing the evidence for and against welfare magnet effects. Essentially, the research question is, do services for the homeless attract homeless to live in municipalities offering those services? Data were collected from 201 YouTube interviews of the homeless, analyzing statements the homeless made about services. From this analysis, no relationship between services and residence was found, representing a clear absence of a 'welfare magnet effect.' However, homeless residency was influenced by social connections, which include family or friends. |
