Madison Elliot

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology

Mentor: Dr. Jessica Lucero

The Influence of Neighborhood Cohesion on Homelessness in Cache Valley, Utah

Background: This research aims to understand the relationship between social cohesion, community integration and risk of homelessness.

Methods: Data from this study comes from a larger cross-sectional, community-based where participants (N=828) were surveyed face-to-face using stratified random sampling in a targeted tri-county area and online using social media outreach. Key variables of interest were measured by two-scale variables, community integration (α=.89) and neighborhood cohesion (α=.82). Community integration was a sum scale of 13-items (Range=13-65) with higher scores indicating higher degree of difficulty integrating within the community. Social cohesion was a sum scale of 5-items (Range=5-25) with higher scores indicating higher levels of social cohesion. Homeless experience was measured by asking participants if they had experienced slept at a friends’ house, a family members’ house, emergency shelter or a place not fit for human habitation within the last one- and five-year-time frames.

Results: Results showed that 12% of respondents had experienced some form of homelessness in the last five years and 5.7% in the last one year On average, participants who had experienced homelessness had lower levels of social cohesion and greater difficulty integrating within their community (M=16.80, SD=6.49); compared to those who had not, (M=18.03, SD=6.26). Similarly participants who had experienced homelessness had greater difficulty integrating in their community (M=28.52, SD=9.81) compared to those who had not been homeless (M=20.92, SD=7.96).

Implications: These results possess implications for community-level interventions that build social cohesion and promote community integration in order to reduce homeless risk.”