Gentrification and Homelessness: The Single Room Occupant and the Inner City Revival

This article describes the effect that gentrification has had on SRO hotels and their occupants in recent years. The author provides historical background to gentrification, tracing its history from a small, grassroots movement to established policy in many cities. He presents data regarding loss of SRO housing units from a number of cities, with more detailed information on New York City. Kasinitz highlights the problems, including increased homelessness, that gentrification has caused by displacing traditional inner-city poor SRO tenants. He recommends that new alternatives be provided for single impoverished city residents, who have nowhere to go when SROs are destroyed.