Homelessness In The United States: Volume II

Features

Description

This is the second of Momeni's two-volume series on homelessness in the United States. While volume I concentrated on the statewide distribution, variations, trends, and characteristics of the homeless population, the present volume addresses the problem of data collection and specific causes and issues that relate to homelessness.

Unique in its attempt to bring systematic data and analysis to bear on the subject, this groundbreaking study focuses upon such critical areas as drug abuse among the homeless, the housing situation that gives rise to homelessness, homeless children, food sources, and problems of employment. Although the contributors approach the topic from a number of different perspectives, they are united in their conclusion that realistic solutions to the problem of homelessness rest not in establishing new and dramatic programs, but rather in forging links between government and private agencies to create a system-wide response to the multiple needs of the homeless population.

In addition to exploring the serious and persistent problems homeless people face, the contributors highlight the difficulties inherent in measuring the extent of homelessness accurately, concluding that efforts to do so are likely to produce an undercount. A number of chapters provide a clearer picture of the homeless population in America by examining both the socioeconomic and demographic correlates and the social-psychiatric dimensions of homelessness.

Finally, the contributors compare and contrast the characteristics of homelessness and the methods of dealing with the problem in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. Two concluding essays provide an overview of homelessness on the national level and propose public policies likely to be most effective in reducing homelessness.

Numerous tables and figures illustrate points made in the text. Students of social sciences, social practitioners, and public policymakers will find Homelessness in America provocative reading, and a reliable source of data and analysis. Review: ?While the first volume of this two-volume series documents the nationwide pervasiveness of homelessness, Volume 2 presents studies that, taken together, show how complex and intractable the problem has become.

The author of each chapter reports findings that pertain to a specific dimension of the issue. For the most part, the discussions and conclusions are well written and an excellent job of relating specific subject matter to the problem as a whole. Although the research strategies vary, the chapters are ordered so as to build an effective critique of traditional uses of data, prevailing assumptions about what sorts of people may find themselves without permanent places of residence, and programs to provide shelter. . . .

Homelessness in America should be of interest to students of social policy, applied research, social issues, and urban ecology. It brings together studies that document causes, point up weaknesses in existing programs, and advocate a more comprehensive strategy.?-Contemporary Sociology