What causes people to become homeless? A CWRU study finds a surprising answer [Video]

CLEVELAND — How does a person become homeless?

What happened to them before they were living on the streets?

A new Case Western Reserve University study challenges assumptions about the conditions that create chronic homelessness.

“This story is really about love and caretaking,” said Meagan Ray-Novak, a research associate and doctoral candidate at the Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel School’s Center on Poverty and Community Development, who led the research.

Caregiving & its costs

Ray-Novak was initially studying the intersection of race and gender in chronic homelessness.

But then, another theme emerged.

“We were asking people very broadly what life was like before they became homeless, and what we found is that the majority of the population had actually experienced some type of loss,” she said. “Some kind of death, divorce, separation, and caretaking responsibilities that had significantly impacted their ability to stay in their home.”

She said many of the study’s participants prioritized taking care of a loved one, even at the expense of their own …