After automation
Homelessness prioritization algorithms and the future of care labor
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 5260448 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Pelle Tracey (0000-0002-3380-2013, University of Michigan, corresponding author), Patricia Garcia (0000-0001-7736-6076, University of Michigan) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 11 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication date | 2024-03-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Big Data & Society (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2053-9517 • E-ISSN: 2053-9517 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/20539517241239043 |
| OpenAlex | W4393062590 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 28 |
People experiencing homelessness seek support from homeless services systems that increasingly rely on prioritization algorithms to determine who is the most deserving of scarce resources. In this paper, we argue that algorithmic harms in homeless services require a reparative approach that takes the data work of care workers seriously. Building on Davis, Williams, and Yang's concept of algorithmic reparation, we present a qualitative study that examines the intertwining of data work and care labor of 15 care workers. We show how they wrestle with the ethics of algorithmic prioritization and develop workarounds that allow them to advocate for their clients. We contribute an empirical understanding of how care workers provide care under homeless services systems that equate data work with care labor to justify work intensification. Our findings have implications for understanding the future of care labor in datafied conditions and the social and political ramifications of algorithmically mediated care
Automation · Business · Data science · Economics · Management science · Prioritization · Public economics · Sociology · Computer Science · Digital Economy and Work Transformation · Employment and Welfare Studies · Engineering · Housing, Finance, and Neoliberalism
The Value of Homelessness
Situational Analysis
Fairness and Abstraction in Sociotechnical Systems
Intimate Labors
Coordinated Access and Coordinated Entry System Processes in the Housing and Homelessness Sector
Thinking Like an Economist
Invisible intersectionality in measuring vulnerability among individuals experiencing homelessness – critically appraising the VI-SPDAT
The homeless Coordinated Entry System
Reliability and validity of the Vulnerability Index-Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool (VI-SPDAT) in real-world implementation
Who does the work of data
Trusted strangers
Recordkeeping, logistics, and translation
Allocating Homeless Services After the Withdrawal of the Vulnerability Index–Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool
From Street‐Level to System‐Level Bureaucracies
Using thematic analysis in psychology
Automating Inequality
Algorithmic reparation
| Citations per year | 5 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Highly cited | No |