Space, Place, and Home: A Pilot Project Mapping the Routine Activities of Homeless Young Adults

• In Event: Crime and Place: Activity Spaces and Crime

Abstract

We report results of a pilot study that sought to map the routine activities of sheltered homeless young adults in Alaska.  We used semi-structured interviews and a retrospective mapping exercise that asked respondents to trace their movements in the past 24 hours on a map of the city.  We found several commonalities in respondents’ history, as well as in their movements.  Moreover, we find that the homeless young adults were quite willing to discuss their movements, past victimization experiences, and daily experiences with the researchers, suggesting that methods similar to those used here are feasible on a larger scale.

Authors

• Troy C. Payne, University of Alaska Anchorage

• Donna M. Aguiniga, University of Alaska Anchorage