Hybridity, diversity and the division of labour in the third sector: what can we learn from homelessness organisations in the UK?

While the boundaries between different sectors within the welfare mix have always been indistinct, increasing involvement of third sector organisations (TSOs) in government contracts has accentuated the 'blurring' of these boundaries over recent decades. This paper builds on existing analyses of hybridity in the third sector and presents the welfare pyramid as a theoretical framework within which hybridisation and its implications for TSOs of different types can be explored. Taking homelessness TSOs as an example, it highlights the existence of a division of labour among these organisations (which seems to have been exacerbated by contracting) and underlines the need for policy makers to carefully consider TSOs'varied roles, strengths andl imitations.