Homeless problems in Taiwan: Looking beyond legality toward social issues

Encouraged by the public policy, citizens in Taiwan have traditionally enjoyed a high percentage of home ownership. Therefore, it has been perplexing and enigmatic to witness the growing homeless population sleeping outside in public areas in recent years. Public actions have been called for to deal with the problem. However, the approach of these public actions has depended on how the problem of homelessness has been defined. This paper presents a historical context of how homelessness has been presented in policy discourses. Further, on the basis of a survey conducted in 2004, this paper describes the profile of the homeless and discusses why the homeless began sleeping on the streets. Finally, an outreach worker narrates his story about working with the homeless in Taipei City, the capital of Taiwan. The paper also includes policy implications in terms of appropriate public actions to be taken in response to the homelessness problem in Taiwan.

Research highlights► The homelessness was viewed beyond legality toward a social issue in Taiwan. ► An individual explanation of the homelessness limited the nature of public actions. ► There was a strong public stigmatization against the homeless people. ► Outreach workers innovated a variety of media actions to help the homeless. ► The homelessness policy should be comprehensive, both preventive and accommodating.