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35 Critical Soc. Pol'y 3 (2015)

handle is hein.journals/critsplcy35 and id is 1 raw text is: Article Rights, responsibilities and refusals: Homelessness policy and the exclusion of single homeless people with complex needs PETER DWYER University of York, England GRAHAM BOWPITT, EVA SUNDIN AND MARK WEINSTEIN Nottingham Trent University, England Abstract Since 1977 homelessness legislation in England has offered limited statu- tory accommodation rights to unintentionally homeless people who are judged to be in priority need and able to demonstrate a local connec- tion. Using data generated in interviews with homeless people and staff working to support them, this paper considers the impact of current homelessness policy and practice and explores how decisions about intentionality, priority need and local connection serve to exacerbate the social exclusion experienced by single homeless people with multiple support needs. It is concluded that a more genuinely inclusive welfare state will only emerge when, and if, policymakers and wider society are able to abandon their current fixation with using welfare policy to pun- ish 'irresponsible' behaviour and refocus instead on providing services to adequately meet the basic needs of marginalised people. Corresponding author: Peter Dwyer, Department of Social Policy and Social Work, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, England. Email: peter.dwyer@york.ac.uk Critical Social Policy © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/0261018314546311 csp.sagepub.com 3-23 OSAGE