Homelessness in the context of soci̇al exclusi̇on: the case of İstanbul

As a concept that has lost its validity, poverty today fails to explain the social problems that have been experienced in a neo-liberal global world that has been changing since 1980s. After this point, the concept of social exclusion was used and axknowledged widely since it suceeded in explaining the phenomenon of poverty more comprehensively. French in origin, yet now a globally recognized concept, social exclusion is about those who cannot actively participate in life. Homelessness is the place where social exclusion is experienced at its most extreme. Homelessness may seem like a problem about an indivudual's not having a house to live in, but in fact it is a bigger problem than that. Homelessness is about not having the cultural, social and psychological benefits that a house can provide to an individual. It is a problem that leads to social exclusion and lack of self-confidence. In this study, I have focused on the most extreme form of social exclusion, i.e. homelessness, and focused on the homeless individuals that live in Istanbul, and analyzed this phenomenon of poverty and homelessness in the context of globalization and neoliberal policies that have been experienced since 1980s. After a literature review on poverty, social exclusion and homelessness, the survey that I conducted with the homeless indivuduals in Istanbul have been introduced. For this study which aimed at analyzing the scope of social exclusion the homeless indivuduals experienced, I have conducted interviews with 270 indivuduals in the areas where homeless indivuduals live. The questions were asked under different titles and answers were analyzed in tables. The analysis shows that homelessness is first of all a problem of social exclusion, and secondly a problem of economic exclusion. The solution of the problem is related to economic policies and structural changes, but it is also a human issue related to social relations.