Hispanic Migrant Laborer Homelessness in Nebraska: Examining Agricultural Restructuring as One Path to Homelessness

Abstract

Research on homelessness in the U.S. has proliferated over the past decade. Although this research has great!y increased our knowledge of homelessness, few studies have explored the paths to homelessness in rural, agricultural settings. Through a survey of 114 male homeless persons in Linaun, Nebraska, we surmise the existence of a homeless sub-population, which makes up a large proportion of the homeless in Nebraska, and perhaps other similar rural agricultural states: Hispanic migrant laborers. We elaborate on a theoretical construct composed of agricultural structural changes and Nebraska geographic particularities that facilitate homelessness in this sub-population.