Desired support system to eradicate urban homelessness: an exploratory descriptive study

Abstract

Background - The new increasing homeless lately consist of women, children, youth, the elderly and marginalized ethnic or migrant groups. Some of them are working and earn salaries, however, the income is not sufficient to live modestly. Purpose – The purpose of this research is to establish a desired support system to eradicate urban homelessness in the country. Design/methodology/approach – This is an exploratory descriptive method study which employed quantitative techniques.  The study employed a social ecological model to investigate behavior of homeless via multiple levels of influences including intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational, community and public policy. Surveys have been conducted on sixty-five homeless individuals.  Findings – It was found that support systems and structures should be derived from the whole streams from families, communities, organizations and government. Employment opportunities, long-term shelters within the community places and highly demanded skills are needed to improve their living condition. Research limitations – This study is only focused on the socio-economic structures of the homeless in a capital city. Originality/value – This is an empirical research using a social ecological model for the homeless in the Kuala Lumpur area. Research on homeless study has received little attention and has yet to be fully explored.