What is known about homelessness in Russia

Abstract

The text is an analysis of the problems of homelessness, focusing on the complexity of collecting and analyzing data in this area. The authors, practitioners in the field of helping the homeless people, divide the factors affecting the lack of data into two categories: methodological and those associated with the unique characteristics of homelessness. In particular, such aspects as the influence of the experience of staying in orphanages and experience in prison on the risk of homelessness, as well as the need to assess the standard of living of the homeless by themselves are considered. The text emphasizes that in Russia there is a lack of accurate statistics on homelessness due to methodological difficulties and unique characteristics of the problem and provides an analysis of the statistics that we have. The authors rely on their practical experience and data collected during the work, reflecting the practice of helping the homeless from the inside. The text also provides a list of areas that need to be studied first of all, which will help to improve the efficiency of work and reduce the scale of homelessness in Russia.