Longtime Urban Institute researcher Martha Burt and her co-authors provide an in-depth analysis of homelessness, exploring issues such as how many homeless people there are in America, where they are, why they became homeless, how long their homelessness lasts, the different ways programs in different communities are helping the homeless, and how policymakers have approached the problem. Finally, they consider what societies may be willing to do reduce the probability that their members will become homeless. c. Book News Inc.
There have always been homeless people in the United States, but their plight has only recently stirred widespread public reaction and concern. Part of this new recognition stems from the problem's prevalence: the number of homeless individuals, while hard to pin down exactly, is rising. In light of this, Congress asked the Institute of Medicine to find out whether existing health care programs were ignoring the homeless or delivering care to them inefficiently. This book is the report prepared by a committee of experts who examined these problems through visits to city slums and impoverished rural areas, and through an analysis of papers written by leading scholars in the field.
Chronic homelessness is a highly complex social problem of national importance. The problem has elicited a variety of societal and public policy responses over the years, concomitant with fluctuations in the economy and changes in the demographics of and attitudes toward poor and disenfranchised citizens. In recent decades, federal agencies, nonprofit organizations, and the philanthropic community have worked hard to develop and implement programs to solve the challenges of homelessness, and progress has been made. However, much more remains to be done. Importantly, the results of various efforts, and especially the efforts to reduce homelessness among veterans in recent years, have shown that the problem of homelessness can be successfully addressed. Although a number of programs have been developed to meet the needs of persons experiencing homelessness, this report focuses on one particular type of intervention: permanent supportive housing (PSH). Permanent Supportive Housing focuses on the impact of PSH on health care outcomes and its cost-effectiveness. The report also addresses policy and program barriers that affect the ability to bring the PSH and other housing models to scale to address housing and health care needs.
Using rich and detailed data, this groundbreaking book explains why homelessness has become a crisis in America and reveals the structural conditions that underlie it. In Homelessness Is a Housing Problem, Gregg Colburn and Clayton Page Aldern seek to explain the substantial regional variation in rates of homelessness in cities across the United States. In a departure from many analytical approaches, Colburn and Aldern shift their focus from the individual experiencing homelessness to the metropolitan area. Using accessible statistical analysis, they test a range of conventional beliefs about what drives the prevalence of homelessness in a given city—including mental illness, drug use, poverty, weather, generosity of public assistance, and low-income mobility—and find that none explain the regional variation observed across the country. Instead, housing market conditions, such as the cost and availability of rental housing, offer a far more convincing account. With rigor and clarity, Homelessness Is a Housing Problem explores U.S. cities' diverse experiences with housing precarity and offers policy solutions for unique regional contexts.
This book provides social workers, outreach clinicians, case managers, and concerned community members with a pretreatment guide for assisting homeless couples, youth, and single adults. The inter-relationship between Homeless Outreach and Housing First is examined in detail to inform program development and hands on practice. "Pretreatment Guide for Homeless Outreach & Housing First" shares five detailed case studies from the field to elucidate effective ways of helping and to demonstrate how the most vulnerable among us can overcome trauma and homelessness. Readers will:ÿ ÿ * Expand their assessment skills and discover new interventions for helping people who have experienced long-term or chronic homelessness.ÿ ÿ *ÿUnderstand and be able to integrate the stages of common language construction with their own practice.ÿ ÿ *ÿLearn about the positive measurable impact of a Housing First approach and its moral, fiscal, and quality of life implications.ÿ ÿ *ÿUnderstand how to better integrate program policy and supervision with Homeless Outreach & Housing First initiatives.ÿ ÿ *ÿLearn how to utilize a Pretreatment Approach with couples, youth, and unaccompanied adults experiencing untreated major mental illness and addiction.ÿ "Jay S. Levy's book is essential reading to both people new to the movement to end homelessness and folks who have been in the trenches for many years. Learn how to do effective outreach with the chronic homeless population, and the ins and outs of the Housing First model. The personal stories and the success cases will give inspiration to work even harder to help both individuals and for ending homelessness in your community." Michael Stoops, Director of Community Organizing National Coalition for the Homeless, Washington, DC Learn more at www.JaySLevy.com Another empowering book from Loving Healing Press www.LovingHealing.com
Homeless kids of all ages exist in every community, but few realize this. Because of their invisibility, the needs of these kids, a population of over 3 million, go largely unmet. The Charlie Book not only offers a range of ways ordinary compassionate people can help in their own communities, but it also gives background information to help understand the scope of this hidden problem. Additionally, it directs readers to existing resources.Schools districts must have a trained homeless liaison to identify and assist students experiencing homelessness. The federal McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth Act, reauthorized in December 2015 as part of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), specifies duties and responsibilities of these liaisons. One is to develop local resources to help the students succeed in school. "Charlie," for whom the book is named, was instrumental in passage of homeless children and youth's educational rights. Society's choice in dealing with widespread angst about income inequality, racial strife, domestic and international violence, and personal challenges could angrily tumble into an apathetic stupor or embrace compassion that spurs action. The Charlie Book: 60 Ways to Help Homeless Kids grew out of the desire to create a "compassion epidemic" that would spill out across the country to ease the suffering of millions of homeless children and youth. It was created and reviewed by people with years of experience working with homeless kids.This concise handbook will provide the know-how for adults and kids, civic organizations and faith communities, scout troops and neighborhood associations to make a viable difference in their local communities for the mostly invisible families and youth experiencing a variety of shapes of homelessness.Those involved in this book believe that good people doing good things will mitigate the apathy and anxiety that grabs headlines and shatters lives. The Charlie Book offers a simple, doable approach to providing tangible help to young people striving to get an education despite the formidable challenges they face. The antidote to apathy is action. The Charlie Book, offers simple activities that can simply change lives for the better.
How to help the most disenfranchised of our citizens, those displaced and sometimes discarded in our society. As the growing epidemic of homelessness grips America, author Tina Babcock gives insight to the causes and solutions. It is a practical guide for those wanting to make a difference with this stigmatized and often feared population within our communities. After more than a decade of working with both temporarily displaced and chronically homeless individuals she gives a compassionate and practical view of what it takes to be effective. Whether you have a relative that has ended up on your couch or you are running an outreach to homeless individuals, youll find this a valuable resource.
How to House the Homeless, editors Ingrid Gould Ellen and Brendan O'Flaherty propose that the answers entail rethinking how housing markets operate and developing more efficient interventions in existing service programs. The book critically reassesses where we are now, analyzes the most promising policies and programs going forward, and offers a new agenda for future research. How to House the Homeless makes clear the inextricable link between homelessness and housing policy. Contributor Jill Khadduri reviews the current residential services system and housing subsidy programs. For the chronically homeless, she argues, a combination of assisted housing approaches can reach the greatest number of people and, specifically, an expanded Housing Choice Voucher system structured by location, income, and housing type can more efficiently reach people at-risk of becoming homeless and reduce time spent homeless. Robert Rosenheck examines the options available to homeless people with mental health problems and reviews the cost-effectiveness of five service models: system integration, supported housing, clinical case management, benefits outreach, and supported employment. He finds that only programs that subsidize housing make a noticeable dent in homelessness, and that no one program shows significant benefits in multiple domains of life. Contributor Sam Tsemberis assesses the development and cost-effectiveness of the Housing First program, which serves mentally ill homeless people in more than four hundred cities. He asserts that the program's high housing retention rate and general effectiveness make it a viable candidate for replication across the country. Steven Raphael makes the case for a strong link between homelessness and local housing market regulations—which affect housing affordability—and shows that the problem is more prevalent in markets with stricter zoning laws. Finally, Brendan O'Flaherty bridges the theoretical gap between the worlds of public health and housing research, evaluating the pros and cons of subsidized housing programs and the economics at work in the rental housing market and home ownership. Ultimately, he suggests, the most viable strategies will serve as safety nets—"social insurance"—to reach people who are homeless now and to prevent homelessness in the future. It is crucial that the links between effective policy and the whole cycle of homelessness—life conditions, service systems, and housing markets—be made clear now. With a keen eye on the big picture of housing policy, How to House the Homeless shows what works and what doesn't in reducing the numbers of homeless and reaching those most at risk.
