Another day in paradise? A sociological analysis of the effectiveness of Irish governmental policy in alleviating the social exclusion of the homeless.

This thesis examines Irish housing policy, and legislation / policies introduced to address homelessness, and asks the question “how effective have Irish governmental policies been in alleviating the social exclusion of the homeless?” A qualitative study framed by social citizenship was undertaken. The data was collected from a purposive sample of ten respondents by means of interviews and a grounded theory approach was utilized as the method of data analysis. The study examines what homelessness, citizenship, and social exclusion are, the requirements for citizenship and exclusion from citizenship. It links exclusion from citizenship to homelessness, and its manifestation in Irish society. Ultimately it examines the effectiveness of how government policy has addressed the social exclusion experienced by the homeless as a result of the denial of citizenship rights. It finds that Irish housing policy has satisfied the majority of citizens, yet simultaneously it has unintentionally restricted the quality of citizenship for a sizeable minority. Additionally government policy has had a positive impact on alleviating the social exclusion of the homeless on a number of levels. However it appears to have reached its limit and needs to move the next level to continue the progress that has been made.