As inequality increases throughout America, the most destitute individuals lack upward mobility while conditions continue to get worse for those in extreme poverty. The purpose of this study is to gain a firsthand understanding of the consequences of rising inequality in Michigan communities, with emphasis on college towns and deindustrialized cities. I produce grounded theory supporting the argument that the homeless experience is becoming increasingly diverse. Homeless individuals are those who have the fewest life chances and whose lifestyle, a navigation of circumstance, results in stasis. Social forces produce the conditions that homeless individuals cope with. Homeless individuals perform coping strategies in public, behavior that contributes to socially constructed identities. Because they are socially ostracized from the public, homeless people are perhaps one of the most stereotyped and stigmatized groups in America. When seen in public spaces, the “homeless” distinction evokes certain preconceived notions about financial standing, alternative options, and lifestyle choices. I analyze data from a three-year ethnography along with casual interviews, surveys, and visual ethnographic data to build a mixed methods approach exploring homeless phenomena. I suggest more qualitative research is necessary to study the social problem of homelessness in America.
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