Rough Sleepers is an example of literary journalism. Literary journalism uses techniques found in fiction—such as dialogue, character development, description, and scene setting—to tell nonfictional stories. The author’s voice is subjective rather than neutral and exists alongside true stories and facts.

Kidder incorporates statistical data about houselessness into the story of Dr. Jim O’Connell, Tony, and the Health Care for the Homeless Program in Boston, all of which provides the narrative with a more personal touch—an attempt to better engage the reader. He provides his opinions alongside both qualitative and quantitative data. For example, Kidder reports on Tony’s challenges in navigating the court and housing system because of his sex offender status. Kidder provides evidence demonstrating the ways these regulations perpetuate harm. He also adds his own opinion, eschewing a neutral stance, saying that it’s “hard to see how it made the city safer to keep a former sex offender in a state of houselessness and roaming the streets” (235).

Tony is a key figure, and his “character” develops throughout the narrative as more details about his life are revealed and conversations relayed.