Roth (1989: 148-149) Defined Homelessness as Follows in Her Ohio

Essay

Roth (1989: 148-149) defined homelessness as follows in her Ohio study: "In this study a person was defined as homeless if he/she sleeps/lives in: (1) limited or no shelter for any length of time (for example, those seeking shelter under bridges, inside door stoops, in cars, in abandoned buildings, in a bus station or all-night café, or in any public facility); (2) shelters or missions, run by religious organizations or public agencies for any length of time (facilities that are specifically for homeless people. Are run on a drop-in basis and charge no fee or a minimal fee, including the Salvation Army, Volunteers of America, and Open Shelter of Columbus); (3) cheap hotels or motels when actual length of stay, or the intent to stay, is 45 days or less; and (4) other unique situations that do not fall into the above categories and when the actual length of stay, or the intent of stay, is 45 days or less (for example, staying with family and friends, living in tent cities, or spending a night in jail)." Rewrite Roth's definition so that it is more succinct and conceptual and less operational. Next, rewrite your conceptual definition with as much level of operational detail as in Roth's definition, but without repeating the specifics of the original definition. What ambiguities remain in your definition that might confuse a research assistant trying to apply the definition in the field?