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eBooks (available 24/7, partial list)
Down and Out in Los Angeles and Berlin by Jürgen Von Mahs
Los Angeles, California, and Berlin, Germany, have been dubbed "homeless capitals" for having the largest homeless populations of their respective countries. In Down and Out in Los Angeles and Berlin, Jürgen von Mahs provides an illuminating comparative analysis of the impact of social welfare policy on homelessness in these cities. He addresses the opportunity of people to overcome--or "exit"--homelessness and shows how Berlin, with its considerable social and economic investment for assisting its homeless has been as unsuccessful as Los Angeles. Drawing on fascinating ethnographic insights, von Mahs shows how homeless people in both cities face sociospatial exclusion-legal displacement for criminal activities, poor shelters in impoverished neighborhoods, as well as market barriers that restrict reintegration. Providing a necessary wake-up call, Down and Out in Los Angeles and Berlin addresses the critical public policy issues that can produce effective services to improve homeless people's chances for a lasting exit.
Modern Homelessness by Mary Ellen Hombs
This in-depth examination reviews fundamental changes of the past decade that have reduced homelessness in the United States and other Western democracies. * A chronology of relevant key events of the last decade in the United States, England, Canada, and Australia * A glossary * A bibliography of print and nonprint resources, including electronic resources
New Faces of American Poverty by Timothy Essenburg
A timely examination of the effects of the Great Recession on Americans and the resulting federal reforms to healthcare, employment, and housing policies as a means to alleviate poverty. * Offers a detailed analysis of the impact of the Great Recession on poverty rates across 21 distinct demographic groups, including immigrants, children, seniors, veterans, and various racial and ethnic groups * Provides a basis for understanding the causes of the economic crises and the impact on the daily lives of individuals, families, and groups * Includes more than 20 contributing writers from universities and anti-poverty programs from across the country * Presents charts and graphics to illustrate key aspects of the Great Recession * Examines multiple groups in society in terms of how they have been affected by the Great Recession, rather than being limited to one or two segments of the population * Looks across multiple regions in terms of groups, segments of the economy, and political trends * Provides secondary looks past the first group boundaries to delve deeper into the circumstances of those whose circumstances have drastically changed by the Great Recession
Someplace Like America by Dale Maharidge; Bruce Springsteen (Foreword by); Michael S. Williamson (Photographer)
In Someplace Like America, writer Dale Maharidge and photographer Michael S. Williamson take us to the working-class heart of America, bringing to life--through shoe leather reporting, memoir, vivid stories, stunning photographs, and thoughtful analysis--the deepening crises of poverty and homelessness. The story begins in 1980, when the authors joined forces to cover the America being ignored by the mainstream media--people living on the margins and losing their jobs as a result of deindustrialization. Since then, Maharidge and Williamson have traveled more than half a million miles to investigate the state of the working class (winning a Pulitzer Prize in the process). In Someplace Like America, they follow the lives of several families over the thirty-year span to present an intimate and devastating portrait of workers going jobless. This brilliant and essential study--begun in the trickle-down Reagan years and culminating with the recent banking catastrophe--puts a human face on today's grim economic numbers. It also illuminates the courage and resolve with which the next generation faces the future.
Street Kids by R. Barri Flowers
This timely book explores the complex and persistent problem of street kids in America, children who have run away or been forced to leave home--for reasons that include childhood sexual abuse and neglect, drug abuse, mental health and behavioral problems, sexual promiscuity, and issues related to gender identity. These children often become the victims of sexual exploitation by pimps, prostitution customers, pornographers, and pedophiles. Violence, sexually transmitted diseases, and substance abuse frequently result. The author discusses laws and programs designed to combat the commercial sexual exploitation of these vulnerable youth.
Supporting Families Experiencing Homelessness by Mary E. Haskett (Editor); Beryl Ann Cowan (Editor); Staci Perlman (Editor)
​​​​​​Homelessness among families with children in the U.S. is rising rapidly due to the economic downturn. Supporting Homeless Families: Current Practices and Future Directions aims to raise the standard of services provided to families without homes through practices that are strengths-based and culturally competent. This book provides a contextual overview of family homelessness. An ecological and developmental framework for understanding the implications of homelessness from infancy through adulthood are presented with reference to existing research. The book also addresses innovative designs for providing collaboration between and among diverse services that interface with families experiencing homelessness. In doing so, the importance of providing families with culturally competent services that support them during episodes of homelessness as well as the period of re-housing are addressed. Examples of empirically proven interventions and best practices are showcased, and roadblocks to success and sustainability are discussed.
Books on the Library's Shelves (partial list)
Homelessness by Greenhaven Press Editors (Editor); Tamara Thompson (Editor)
This essential resources discusses issues related to homelessness. Through a balanced collection of articles from a variety of sources, this book explores the seriousness of America's homeless problem, and factors that contribute to homelessness, such as the recession, mental illness, substance abuse, and domestic violence. Readers will evaluate housing policies, like vouchers and Housing First programs, that may benefit the homeless, and the government's role in addressing homelessness.
Homelessness and Street Crime by Pete Schauer (Editor)
Hundreds of thousands of Americans are without a home, sleeping on streets or in temporary shelters. Nearly one-fifth of homeless Americans suffer from an untreated mental illness. Due in part to reductions in state and city budgets, many who need assistance are left to live on the street. One natural byproduct of a life on the street is criminal behavior, as adaptation to illegal acts becomes a matter of survival. Could ending homelessness reduce crime? What are ways in which that could be achieved, and whose responsibility is it? Are the homeless being unfairly blamed for street crime? This volume offers a close examination of the issue from a variety of viewpoints.
The Homeless by Louise I. Gerdes (Editor)
Homelessness is a tough topic to think about, but it's essential we do not turn a blind eye to a plight that can impact anyone at any stage in life. Give your readers the right kind of material that empowers them with a desire to learn about the homeless. Editor Louise I. Gerdes has compiled several primary source essays that examine two contrary sides to each issue considered. Across four chapters, readers will evaluate whether homelessness is a serious problem, that factors cause it, what housing policies will benefit the homeless, and what policies will best reduce homelessness.
The Librarian's Guide to Homelessness by Ryan J Dowd
"Homelessness is a perennial topic of concern at libraries. In fact, staff at public libraries interact with almost as many homeless individuals as staff at shelters do. In this book Dowd, executive director of a homeless shelter, spotlights best practices drawn from his own shelter's policies and training materials" --
Nomadland by Jessica Bruder
From the beet fields of North Dakota to the National Forest campgrounds of California to Amazon's CamperForce program in Texas, employers have discovered a new, low-cost labor pool, made up largely of transient older Americans. Finding that social security comes up short, often underwater on mortgages, these invisible casualties of the Great Recession have taken to the road by the tens of thousands in late-model RVs, travel trailers, and vans, forming a growing community of nomads: migrant laborers who call themselves "workampers."On frequently traveled routes between seasonal jobs, Jessica Bruder meets people from all walks of life: a former professor, a McDonald's vice president, a minister, a college administrator, and a motorcycle cop, among many others--including her irrepressible protagonist, a onetime cocktail waitress, Home Depot clerk, and general contractor named Linda May.In a secondhand vehicle she christens "Van Halen," Bruder hits the road to get to know her subjects more intimately. Accompanying Linda May and others from campground toilet cleaning to warehouse product scanning to desert reunions, then moving on to the dangerous work of beet harvesting, Bruder tells a compelling, eye-opening tale of the dark underbelly of the American economy--one that foreshadows the precarious future that may await many more of us. At the same time, she celebrates the exceptional resilience and creativity of these quintessential Americans who have given up ordinary rootedness to survive. Like Linda May, who dreams of finding land on which to build her own sustainable "Earthship" home, they have not given up hope.
Poverty and Homelessness by Greenhaven Press Editors (Editor); Noël Merino (Editor)
The National Alliance to End Homelessness states that there are 564,708 people experiencing homelessness on any given night in the U.S. The primary source writings in this anthology have been selected to provide your readers with a broad range of viewpoints on poverty and homelessness, including what role minimum wage plays. The essays in each chapter of this book represent contrasting viewpoints on government social assistance programs and income inequality. Students are encouraged to see the validity of divergent opinions, crucial to the development of critical thinking skills. An important question about the topic is presented in each chapter, and the viewpoints that follow are organized based on their response to the question. Fact boxes summarize important information for researchers, and an extensive bibliography is included.
Street Teens by Dedria Bryfonski (Editor)
Editor Dedria Bryfonski has assembled several compelling essays in a for-or-against sequence that explore issues relating to street teens. Across four chapters, readers will analyze why teens run away, the consequences of becoming a street teen, how they can be helped, and whether street teens are a global problem. Are street teens in control of their lives? Do street teens indulge in risky sexual behavior? Are U.S. shelters inadequate in meeting the needs of street teens? Your readers will find out the answers. Sources include Noam Schimmel, Kira Cochrane, Macalane J. Malindi, and Linda C. Theron.
Student Engagement in Higher Education by Shaun R. Harper (Editor); Stephen John Quaye (Editor)
Student Engagement in Higher Educationfills a longstanding void in the higher education and student affairs literature. In the fully revised and updated edition of this important volume, the editors and chapter contributors explore how diverse populations of students experience college differently and encounter group-specific barriers to success. Informed by relevant theories, each chapter focuses on engaging a different student population, including: low-income students, students of color, international students, students with disabilities, LGBT students, religious minority students, student-athletes, homeless students, transfer students, commuter and part-time students, adult learners, student veterans, and graduate students. The forward-thinking, practical strategies offered throughout the book are based on research and the collected professional wisdom of experienced educators and scholars at two-year and four-year institutions of higher education. Current and future faculty, administrators, and student affairs staff will undoubtedly find this book complete with fresh ideas to reverse troubling engagement trends among various college student populations.
The Value of Homelessness by Craig Willse
It is all too easy to assume that social service programs respond to homelessness, seeking to prevent and understand it. The Value of Homelessness, however, argues that homelessness today is an effect of social services and sciences, which shape not only what counts as such but what will?or ultimately won't?be done about it. Through a history of U.S. housing insecurity from the 1930s to the present, Craig Willse traces the emergence and consolidation of a homeless services industry. How to most efficiently allocate resources to control ongoing insecurity has become the goal, he shows, rather than how to eradicate the social, economic, and political bases of housing needs. Drawing on his own years of work in homeless advocacy and activist settings, as well as interviews conducted with program managers, counselors, and staff at homeless services organizations in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle, Willse provides the first analysis of how housing insecurity becomes organized as a governable social problem. An unprecedented and powerful historical account of the development of contemporary ideas about homelessness and how to manage homelessness, The Value of Homelessness offers new ways for students and scholars of social work, urban inequality, racial capitalism, and political theory to comprehend the central role of homelessness in governance and economy today.
