New England Journal of Public Policy Volume 8 Issue 1 Special Issue on Homelessness: New England Article 30 and Beyond 3-23-1992 Homelessness, Alcohol, and Other Drug Abuse: Research Traditions and Policy Responses Gerald R. Garrett University of Massachusetts Boston Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.umb.edu/nejpp Part of the Public Policy Commons, Social Policy Commons, and the Substance Abuse and Addiction Commons Recommended Citation Garrett, Gerald R. (1992) "Homelessness, Alcohol, and Other Drug Abuse: Research Traditions and Policy Responses," New England Journal of Public Policy: Vol. 8: Iss. 1, Article 30. Available at: http://scholarworks.umb.edu/nejpp/vol8/iss1/30 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks at UMass Boston. It has been accepted for inclusion in New England Journal of Public Policy by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at UMass Boston. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Homeiessness, Research Traditions Alcohol, and Other and Policy Drug Abuse Responses Gerald R. Garrett Although homeless alcoholics and other drug abusers more often elicit public scorn than sympathy, ironically they enjoy a celebrity status as research subjects. This article provides an overview of research literature on the homeless and their alcohol and drug problems. The evolution ofpublic policies concerning control, rehabilitation, and treat- ment of homeless substance abusers is also traced with special attention to the interac- tion between scientific literature and policy responses over the past century. Although homeless populations today are more diverse than their counterparts in earlier decades, the analysis suggests that the policies and programs developed in response to the crisis of homeiessness and substance abuse in the 1980s and 1990s reflect themes that are also evident in early literature.