ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of primary data on homelessness which, together with administrative and contextual data and secondary sources, constitutes the material for the analysis of homelessness and housing deprivation. It discusses how available data sources can be used for comparative studies of homelessness at the European level. In order to situate the debate about accuracy of available data within a comprehensive research framework the chapter examines the initial stages of a needs-based research project which are pertinent for data collection and analysis. It also discusses the available sources for research situations, which vary from literal homelessness to supported housing, and will identify aspects of the phenomena of housing deprivation which cannot be documented by available data and which require further research. There is growing evidence that alongside with the privatisation of state functions in the housing domain an ‘Europisation’ of processess conducive to homelessness is occurring.
