A response to Jindra, Jindra, and DeGenero’s “Contrasts in Religion, Community, and Structure at Three Homeless Shelters: Changing Lives”

The book Contrasts in Religion, Community, and Structure at Three Homeless Shelters: Changing Lives seeks to explore the role of religion and personal transformation in people's experiences of homelessness. While the goals show promise, this response offers a critique of the claims provided by the authors. Here, I suggest that binary thinking around 'structural' and 'individual' causes of homelessness, methodological challenges, missing clarity on what amounts to 'success,’ and a lack of sensitivity to the narratives and experiences of people who are homeless does not advance the scholarship on homelessness. Instead, I point to concerns about how longstanding myths and stereotypes about homelessness may be reinforced through this form of analysis that individualizes and blames people for experiences that are ultimately driven by and mediated through structural barriers. The response also offers insight into where to take research of this nature, including an emphasis on how spirituality and caring for the whole person offers an opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to homelessness literature.