Download or read book Why the Homeless Have No Chance written by Jeffrey Grunberg and published by . This book was released on 2020-10-30 with total page 498 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Comprising a number of short essays, Why the Homeless Have No Chance: An Inside Story documents a sociological journey through the homeless services industry and describes today's wrong-headed approach to this lingering social problem. Told from the vantage point of thirty years of personal experience helping homeless people in a number of settings, these adventures largely took place in midtown Manhattan in the early 90's. Over a seventeen-year period, our singularly successful approach was dismantled "slow-mo" by way of political advocacy and media complicity. We had decried the housing approach, frustrated that it was going nowhere, instead calling for employment programming. However, what is referred to as "The Board," the putative head of the homeless industry, would have none of it. We were accused of heinous crimes, all made up. For it all, even after those charges were proven to be "fanciful," the damage had been done - we were taken down and our funding went right into the coffers of The Board, while the homeless, unemployed again, were back on the street. Never told were the reasons for what one investigator called our "unparalleled success." Why were we able to bring thousands of homeless men and women indoors? Why were we able to help so many into employment? What can be done to stem today's tide of homelessness? Our programs drew the attention of a number of important New Yorkers, pro and con among them, but in the end, they came to a halt. While this is a story that was partially documented in the media, staccato style, still it has remained a story never fully told.
Download or read book Why the Homeless Have No Chance written by Jeffrey Grunberg and published by eBookIt.com. This book was released on 2020-06 with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Comprising a number of short essays, 'Why the Homeless Have No Chance: The Dismantling of Success' documents a sociological journey through the homeless services industry and describes today's wrong-headed approach to this lingering social problem. Told from the vantage point of thirty years of personal experience helping homeless people in a number of settings, these adventures largely took place in midtown Manhattan in the early 90's. Over a seventeen-year period, our singularly successful approach was dismantled "slow-mo" by way of political advocacy and media complicity. We had decried the housing approach, frustrated that it was going nowhere, instead calling for employment programming. However, what is referred to as "The Board," the putative head of the homeless industry, would have none of it. We were accused of heinous crimes, all made up. For it all, even after those charges were proven to be "fanciful," the damage had been done - we were taken down and our funding went right into the coffers of The Board, while the homeless, unemployed again, were back on the street. Never told were the reasons for what one investigator called our "unparalleled success." Why were we able to bring thousands of homeless men and women indoors? Why were we able to help so many into employment? What can be done to stem today's tide of homelessness? Our programs drew the attention of a number of important New Yorkers, pro and con among them, but in the end, they came to a halt. While this is a story that was partially documented in the media, staccato style, still it has remained a story never fully told.
Download or read book Out of the Forest written by Gregory Smith and published by Random House Australia. This book was released on 2018-05-28 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What makes a man turn his back on society? What makes him return? For years a man calling himself Will Power lived in near-total isolation in northern New South Wales, foraging for food, eating bats and occasionally trading for produce. But who was this mysterious man who roamed the forest and knew all of its secrets and riddles? Some people thought he might be Jesus. Others feared he was a more sinister figure. The truth was that he was neither miraculous nor malevolent, but he was, most certainly, gifted. And when he finally emerged from the forest, emaciated and close to death, he was determined to reclaim his real name and ‘give society another chance’. Today, Dr Gregory Peel Smith, who left school at the age of fourteen, has a PhD and teaches in the Social Sciences at university. His profoundly touching and uplifting memoir is at once a unique insight into how far off track a life can go and powerful reminder that we can all find our way back if we pause for a moment in the heart of the forest.
Download or read book A Gift of Hope written by Danielle Steel and published by Delacorte Press. This book was released on 2012-10-30 with total page 146 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In her powerful memoir His Bright Light, #1 New York Times bestselling author Danielle Steel opened her heart to share the devastating story of the loss of her beloved son. In A Gift of Hope, she shows us how she transformed that pain into a campaign of service that enriched her life beyond what she could imagine. For eleven years, Danielle Steel took to the streets with a small team to help the homeless of San Francisco. She worked anonymously, visiting the “cribs” of the city’s most vulnerable citizens under cover of darkness, distributing food, clothing, bedding, tools, and toiletries. She sought no publicity for her efforts and remained anonymous throughout. Now she is speaking to bring attention to their plight. In this unflinchingly honest and deeply moving memoir, the famously private author speaks out publicly for the first time about her work among the most desperate members of our society. She offers achingly acute portraits of the people she met along the way—and issues a heartfelt call for more effective action to aid this vast, deprived population. Determined to supply the homeless with the basic necessities to keep them alive, she ends up giving them something far more powerful: a voice. By turns candid and inspirational, Danielle Steel’s A Gift of Hope is a true act of advocacy and love.
Download or read book Homelessness Health and Human Needs written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1988-02-01 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book The Homeless written by Christopher Jencks and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 1994 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Late in the 1970s, Americans began to notice more people sleeping in public places and wandering the streets. By the late 1980s, the homeless were everywhere--a grim reminder of America's social and economic troubles. Renowned social analyst Jencks discusses the causes and extent of this problem and what can be done about it. Line illustrations and tables.
Download or read book Almost Home written by Kevin Ryan and published by Wiley. This book was released on 2012-09-11 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Inside the lives of homeless teens—moving stories of pain and hope from Covenant House Almost Home tells the stories of six remarkable young people from across the United States and Canada as they confront life alone on the streets. Each eventually finds his or her way to Covenant House, the largest charity serving homeless and runaway youth in North America. From the son of a crack addict who fights his own descent into drug addiction to a teen mother reaching for a new life, their stories veer between devastating and inspiring as they each struggle to find a place called home. Includes a foreword by Newark Mayor Cory Booker Shares the personal stories of six homeless youths grappling with issues such as drug addiction, family violence, prostitution, rejection based on sexual orientation, teen parenthood, and aging out of foster care into a future with limited skills and no support system Gives voice to the estimated 1.6 million young people in the United States and Canada who run away or are kicked out of their homes each year Includes striking photographs, stories of firsthand experiences mentoring and working with homeless and troubled youth, and practical suggestions on how to get involved Discusses the root causes of homelessness among young people, and policy recommendations to address them Provides action steps readers can take to fight youth homelessness and assist individual homeless young people Written by Kevin Ryan, president of Covenant House, and Pulitzer Prize nominee and former New York Times writer Tina Kelley Inviting us to get to know homeless teens as more than an accumulation of statistics and societal issues, this book gives a human face to a huge but largely invisible problem and offers practical insights into how to prevent homelessness and help homeless youth move to a hopeful future. For instance, one kid in the book goes on to become a college football player and counselor to at-risk adolescents and another becomes a state kickboxing champion. All the stories inspire us with victories of the human spirit, large and small. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each book will help support kids who benefit from Covenant House's shelter and outreach services.
Download or read book Sacred Shelter written by Susan Celia Greenfield and published by Fordham Univ Press. This book was released on 2018-12-04 with total page 379 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An inside look at an interfaith program for the homeless in New York City, including in-depth stories of those who have graduated and made new lives. In a metropolis like New York, homelessness can blend into the urban landscape. For Susan Greenfield, however, New York is the place where a community of resilient, remarkable individuals is yearning for a voice. Sacred Shelter follows the lives of thirteen formerly homeless people, all of whom have graduated from an interfaith life skills program for current and former homeless individuals in the city. Through interviews, these individuals share traumas from their youth, their experience with homelessness, and the healing they’ve discovered through community and faith. Edna Humphrey talks about losing her grandparents, father, and sister to illness, accident, and abuse. Lisa Sperber discusses her bipolar disorder and her whiteness. Dennis Barton speaks about his unconventional path to becoming a first-generation college student and his journey to reconnect with his family. The memoirists share stories about youth, family, jobs, and love. They describe their experiences with racism, mental illness, sexual assault, and domestic violence. Each of the thirteen storytellers honestly expresses his or her broken-heartedness and how finding community and faith gave them hope to carry on. Interspersed are reflections from program directors, clerics, mentors, and volunteers, including the cofounder of the program. While Sacred Shelter does not tackle the socioeconomic conditions and inequities that cause homelessness, it provides a voice for a demographic group that continues to suffer from systemic injustice and marginalization.
Download or read book Trevor s Place written by Frank Ferrell and published by HarperCollins Publishers. This book was released on 1990 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Trevor's Place recounts the story of how one boy's compassion became a campaign to help the homeless; the new edition also relates the painful storyof Trevor's struggle with dyslexia and his family's agony at learning that Trevor's father had inoperable cancer.
Download or read book Invisible Child written by Andrea Elliott and published by Random House. This book was released on 2021-10-05 with total page 640 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: PULITZER PRIZE WINNER • A “vivid and devastating” (The New York Times) portrait of an indomitable girl—from acclaimed journalist Andrea Elliott “From its first indelible pages to its rich and startling conclusion, Invisible Child had me, by turns, stricken, inspired, outraged, illuminated, in tears, and hungering for reimmersion in its Dickensian depths.”—Ayad Akhtar, author of Homeland Elegies ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times • ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The Atlantic, The New York Times Book Review, Time, NPR, Library Journal In Invisible Child, Pulitzer Prize winner Andrea Elliott follows eight dramatic years in the life of Dasani, a girl whose imagination is as soaring as the skyscrapers near her Brooklyn shelter. In this sweeping narrative, Elliott weaves the story of Dasani’s childhood with the history of her ancestors, tracing their passage from slavery to the Great Migration north. As Dasani comes of age, New York City’s homeless crisis has exploded, deepening the chasm between rich and poor. She must guide her siblings through a world riddled by hunger, violence, racism, drug addiction, and the threat of foster care. Out on the street, Dasani becomes a fierce fighter “to protect those who I love.” When she finally escapes city life to enroll in a boarding school, she faces an impossible question: What if leaving poverty means abandoning your family, and yourself? A work of luminous and riveting prose, Elliott’s Invisible Child reads like a page-turning novel. It is an astonishing story about the power of resilience, the importance of family and the cost of inequality—told through the crucible of one remarkable girl. Winner of the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize • Finalist for the Bernstein Award and the PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award
Download or read book Hobos Hustlers and Backsliders written by Teresa Gowan and published by U of Minnesota Press. This book was released on 2010 with total page 367 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Gowan shows some of the diverse ways that men on the street in San Francisco struggle for survival, autonomy, and self-respect. Living for weeks at a time among homeless men--working side-by-side with them as they collected cans, bottles, and scrap metal; helping them set up camp; watching and listening as they panhandled and hawked newspapers; and accompanying them into soup kitchens, jails, welfare offices, and shelters--Gowan immersed herself in their routines, their personal stories, and their perspectives on life on the streets. She observes a wide range of survival techniques, from the illicit to the industrious, from drug dealing to dumpster diving. She also discovered that prevailing discussions about homelessness and its causes--homelessness as pathology, homelessness as moral failure, and homelessness as systemic failure--powerfully affect how homeless people see themselves and their ability to change their situation.
Download or read book I Beat The Odds written by Michael Oher and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2012-02-07 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The football star made famous in the hit film (and book) The Blind Side reflects on how far he has come from the circumstances of his youth. Michael Oher shares his personal account of his story, in this inspirational New York Times bestseller. Looking back on how he went from being a homeless child in Memphis to playing in the NFL, Michael talks about the goals he had to break out of the cycle of poverty, addiction, and hopelessness that trapped his family. Eventually he grasped onto football as his ticket out and worked hard to make his dream into a reality. With his adoptive family, the Touhys, and other influential people in mind, he describes the absolute necessity of seeking out positive role models and good friends who share the same values to achieve one's dreams. Sharing untold stories of heartache, determination, courage, and love, I Beat the Odds is an incredibly rousing tale of one young man's quest to achieve the American dream.
Download or read book The Federal Response to the Homeless Crisis written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Government Operations. Intergovernmental Relations and Human Resources Subcommittee and published by . This book was released on 1985 with total page 1384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book How to House the Homeless written by Ingrid Gould Ellen and published by Russell Sage Foundation. This book was released on 2010-06-24 with total page 201 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book No Way Home written by and published by . This book was released on 2021-03-16 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Where Have All the Homeless Gone written by Anthony Marcus and published by Berghahn Books. This book was released on 2006 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For a decade, from 1983 to 1993, homelessness was a major concern in the United States. In 1994, this public concern suddenly disappeared, without any significant reduction in the number of people without proper housing. By examining the making and unmaking of a homeless crisis, this book explores how public understandings of what constitutes a social crisis are shaped. Drawing on five years of ethnographic research in New York City with African Americans and Latinos living in poverty, Where Have All the Homeless Gone? reveals that the homeless "crisis" was driven as much by political misrepresentations of poverty, race, and social difference, as the housing, unemployment, and healthcare problems that caused homelessness and continue to plague American cities.
Download or read book Breakfast at Sally s written by Richard LeMieux and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2008-10-17 with total page 484 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One day, Richard LeMieux had a happy marriage, a palatial home, and took $40,000 Greek vacations. The next, he was living out of a van with only his dog, Willow, for company. This astonishingly frank memoir tells the story of one man's resilience in the face of economic disaster. Penniless, a failed suicide, estranged from his family, and living "the vehicular lifestyle" in Washington state, LeMieux chronicles his journey from the Salvation Army kitchens to his days with "C"—a philosopher in a homeless man's clothing—to his run-ins with Pastor Bob and other characters he meets on the streets. Along the way, he finds time to haunt public libraries and discover his desire to write. LeMieux's quiet determination and his almost pious willingness to live with his situation are only a part of this politically and socially charged memoir. The real story of an all-too-common American condition, this is a heartfelt and stirring read.
