Doctoral Dissertation Research: A Sociological analysis of Organizational Competition and Survival Among Homeless Assistance Organizations

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SES-622270PI: Paul DiMaggioCo-PI: Nicole EsparzaThis research examines nonprofit organizations that assist the homeless. This research advances the sociological knowledge of organizations by providing insights into the nonprofit sector, specifically the coordination and networking of organizations. The research asks three major questions: (1) how has the availability of funding for the homeless affected the services offered; (2) how do organizations compete or cooperate with each other for funding; and (3) do organizations in different cities behave differently. Although the issue of homeless has been a longstanding interest in sociology, the topic has acquired renewed consideration. All cities and organizations requesting federal funds for homeless services will now have to coordinate services locally, and collectively draft ten-year plans to ameliorate homelessness in their cities. The project examines 6,011 organizations in twenty-six U.S. metropolitan areas from 1989 to 2006. The Co-PI will collect data on these organizations by various means. Financial and program information for the organizations will be taken from IRS tax-exemption filings. Then, the Co-PI will interview approximately sixty organizations in Detroit, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia. Finally, the Co-PI will observe at city-wide planning committees and taskforces on homelessness to understand how cities and organizations work together on the problem of homelessness.. By comparing multiple cities, the researcher will be able to examine organizations within their broader urban social and policy contexts. In addition, this research advances the literature on homelessness and inequality. While research on the causes, consequences, and responses to homelessness has flourished since the 1980s, we still know very little about the organizations that serve the homeless. By analyzing the organizations that constitute a response to homelessness, this project fills in the gap. There are four broader impacts of this project. First, the Co-PI plans to write an article on the use of IRS data for examining nonprofit organizations, thereby facilitating future use of the data. Second, in sociological research there is a recent trend toward the utilization of multiple avenues to collect data on organizations, yet teaching material is still behind the curve. The Co-PI plans to use her experience with collecting data and develop it into undergraduate and graduate level courses. Third, with help of this grant, the researcher plans to obtain a postdoctoral fellowship geared towards minority students. This will give her the opportunity to transform the dissertation into a manuscript. Finally, the results of this project will also be written as a policy report for the HUD. This will enable HUD to review current policies pertaining to program priorities, coordinating mechanisms, and strategies for reducing homelessness.