Race Matters in Addressing Homelessness: A Scoping Review and Call for Critical Research

Structural racism contributes to homelessness in the United States, as evidenced
by the stark racial disparities in who experiences it. This paper reviews research at
the intersections of race and homelessness to advance efforts to understand and
address racial inequities. Part 1 offers a synthesis of homelessness research from
the 1980s to 2015, where several scholars examined the role of race and racism
despite mainstream efforts to present the issue as race‐neutral. Part 2 presents the
results of a systematic scoping review of research at the intersections of race and
homelessness from 2016 to 2021. The 90 articles included demonstrate a growing,
multidisciplinary body of literature that documents how needs and trajectories of
people experiencing homelessness differ by race, examines how the racialized
structuring of society contributes to homelessness risk, and explores how
programs, policies, and grassroots action can address inequities. In addition to
charting findings and implications, included studies are appraised against research
principles developed by Critical Race Theory scholars, mapping the potential of
existing research on race and homelessness to challenge racism.

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