ABSTRACT
Homelessness is a research topic not quite like any other. Empirical research about homelessness poses considerable methodological problems. Studies that orient themselves on the homeless population itself are the exception rather than the rule. If researchers do choose that approach, one finds typically two kinds of research designs, that is, either purely qualitative studies, mostly Masters theses or dissertations, or reports about the experiences of clients of specific facilities or investigations of certain policies. The Marxist model presupposes material impoverishment within the capitalistic production system whose structure would be directly correlated with homelessness. The dysfunction family model focuses on consequences on the family system in the context of impoverishment and the resulting homelessness. The life situation concept stresses three major factors that influence situational circumstances of the homeless: the structural environment, group values and family resources. One of the central problems in empirical research about homelessness is to find form of access to the population that can yield representative samples.
