The Politics Of Ending Homelessness

This book highlights the political nature of homelessness in particular, the political nature of ending the problem and suggests that a movement of homeless and poor people is the best, and perhaps the only, hope for significantly alleviating the homelessness problem. There are signs that the potential for such a movement is growing. Unions of the Homeless and other national protest organizations comprised of homeless and low-income people have arisen in the past decade. These groups constitute the beginnings of what could become a widespread Homeless and Poor People's Movement. Contents: Preface; INTRODUCTION; UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS; Prevalence of Homelessness; Characteristics of the Population; Structural Causes of Homelessness; Governments Response to Homelessness; THE HOMELESS AND POOR PEOPLE'S MOVEMENT; The Potential for an Emerging Movement; Potential Forms of the Movement; Potential Successes of the Movement; Limitations of the Movement's Successes; Notes; PROTEST AS THE MEANS TO END HOMELESSNESS; The Role of Outsiders in the Movement; Conclusion; Appendix; Biography; Index.