Subject: Re: BHA: homelessness in welfare societies
Date: Thu, 01 Jan 2004 10:58:39 +0100


Hi Dick

Exactly and that is not what I was suggesting but the universal 
character of homelessness especially where urbanisation trends 
as we know them arises. What is the problem - is not a simple
question. 

Surprisingly though, is the ability of man to go back to the cave, 
sorry I meant the underground tram-lines and make it a home with 
such ease in a space age!

UN statistics are in most cases laughable. Let me offer an example.
An acclaimed economics took out such data which showed that a certain
country had not gender representation i.e. zero was entered yet by then 
I happened to have been in that country where women for example were
elected from grassroot level.

I only miss being a student again, in Ruths' classes and indeed the 
next generation of lecturers will have a field day with all the new old 
knowledge.

Bwanika.

-------------
Hi Bwanika, 

I distrust cross-national comparisons of homelessnes.  Rates such as 
these are the products of governmental processes (hence the "state" 
in "statistics") which differ greatly from one country to another, and 
in any given country, from one time to another.  I think that if some 
agency such as the UN were to attempt to create a standardized 
accounting process for all of its member-nations, it would run into 
unsolvable definitional problems.  Is a family who lives permanently in 
a shelter constructed of scrap materials "homeless"? 

This, of course, does not answer the question of why there is such a 
high rate of homelessness in a country as rich as the U.S.  I don't 
accept a simple "economic" answer -- political and other "social" 
factors are involved in the framing of the response that there are 
homeless in the U.S. because many people do not have enough money to 
purchase housing in the "market."   

Best regards, 

Dick   

_________
bwanika
 
url: www.idr.co.ug

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