Curtis Smith is an Assistant Professor in the Sociology department at Bentley University and has contributed scholarship related to homelessness by addressing methodological issues related to “point-in-time” homeless counts, health issues among low-income housing, immigration, and public policy. He teaches courses on homelessness, immigration, and social inequality. His book, “Homelessness and housing advocacy: The role of red-tape warriors” chronicles the innovative strategies used by social service workers as they help their clients who experience homelessness through a highly bureaucratic housing system. Prior to becoming a professor, he was a social service worker with homeless populations in six different cities in the U.S., which informs his current research.
Books
Under review. Curtis Smith and Moinak Bhaduri. On the frontlines of housing: Homelessness in the U.S. and a recipe for change. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
Under contract. Smith, Curtis and Ernesto Castañeda Between Borders and the Streets: People in Search of Home, Belonging, and Economic Stability. New York, NY: Routledge.
2022. Smith, Curtis. Homelessness and Housing Advocacy: The Role of Red-Tape Warriors. New York City, NY: Routledge.
Peer-Reviewed Articles
2026. Smith, Curtis., & Bhaduri, Moinak. “A structural analysis of US homelessness through Markov random fields: Identifying predictors and potential causal links through permutation tests.” PLOS One. 21(11): e0343842.
2025. Smith, Curtis & Moinak Bhaduri “A recipe for systems change: Predictive modeling and street-level bureaucracy among homeless services.” PLOS One. 20(8): e0328822.
2024. Camp, James, Curtis Smith, Moinak Bhaduri, Samantha Eddy. “Living among immigrants at the U.S.-Mexico border: Community-based learning and the benefits evidenced through network science.” Journal of Educational Impact, 1(2), 32-59.
2022. Smith, Curtis & Ernesto Castañeda. “Conducting Research with Marginalized Populations: Methodological, Ethical, and IRB Considerations.” Journal of Applied Social Sciences, 17(1), 111-131.
2020. Smith, Curtis & Ernesto Castañeda. “Sick Enough? Mental Illness and Service Eligibility for Homeless Individuals at the Border.” Social Sciences, 9(8), 145-188.
2019. Smith, Curtis, & Ernesto Castañeda-Tinoco. “Improving Homeless Point-in-Time counts: Uncovering the Marginally Housed.” Social Currents, 6(2), 91-104.
2018. Smith, Curtis, & Leon Anderson. “Fitting Stories: Outreach Worker Strategies for Housing Homeless Clients.” Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 47(5), 535-550.
2017. Roark, Jenifer, Jenifer Lucero, Curtis Smith, & David Parker. “Social Service Workers’ Knowledge of and Attitudes Toward Fair Housing Laws.” Journal of Social Service Research, 43(2), 223-235.
2014. Siordia, Carlos, Curtis Smith, & Ernesto Castañeda-Tinoco. “A Geographically-Aware Multilevel Analysis on the Association Between Atmospheric Temperature and the Emergency and Transitional Shelter Population“. Human Geographies–Journal of Studies & Research in Human
Geography, 8(2) 5-16.
2014. Castañeda-Tinoco, Ernesto, Jonathan Klassen, & Curtis Smith. “Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Homeless Populations in El Paso, Texas.” Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 36(4), 488-505.
2013. Mata, Hollie, Maria Flores, Ernesto Castañeda-Tinoco, William Medina-Jerez, Josue Lachica, Curtis Smith, & Hector Olvera. “Health, Hope, and Human Development: Building Capacity in Public Housing Communities on the US-Mexico Border.” Journal of health care for the poor and underserved, 24(4),
1432-1439.
2012. Smith, Curtis, Ernesto Castañeda-Tinoco, & Josiah Heyman. “The Homeless and Occupy El Paso: Creating Community among the 99%.” Social Movement Studies, 11(3-4), 356-366.
*Reprinted in Jenny Pickerill, John Krinsky, Graeme Hayes, Kevin Gillan, and .
Brian Doherty. 2014. Occupy! A Global Movement. Routledge: Oxford, UK.
Book Chapter
2019. Smith, Curtis, & Leon Anderson. Unearthing Aggressive Advocacy.In Ethnography Uncensored: Researchers Reflect on the Challenges of Reaching Hidden Populations, Edited by Miriam Boeri and Rashi Shukla. University of California Press. 65.
Recent Media
2025. Smith, Curtis. “Addressing Homelessness Through Housing Solutions and Systemic Change.” Scholar Strategy Network. Harvard University: Cambridge, MA.
2023. Smith, Curtis. “Homelessness and Housing Advocacy” New Books Network podcast. https://newbooksnetwork.com/homelessness-and-housing-advocacy.
2020. Smith, Curtis & Ernesto Castañeda.“How to Support People Who Are Experiencing Homelessness.” Scholar Strategy Network. Harvard University: Cambridge, MA.
2020. Smith, Curtis, Carina Cione, Deziree Jackson, & Ernesto Castañeda. “Speaking about Health Disparities: A Teachable Moment about Structural Racism” Medium.
Committee Work
2025 to Present. Faculty Senator.
2025 to Present. Curriculum Implementation Committee.
2024 to Present. Academic Integrity Committee.
2021 to Present. Student Advisor in the Sociology Department at Bentley University.
2021 to Present. Faculty Member of the Immigration Lab at American University.
2022 to 2025. Learning and Teaching Council.
2020-2023. Racial Justice Task Force Team.
2018-2022. Coordinated Community Response Team (for sexual violence victims).
2014-2021. Board Member at the Association for Applied and Clinical Sociology and chaired the Client Problem Solving Competition for students.