"They just need to get a job" 15 myths on homelessness

Brosnahan, former CEO of the Coalition for the Homeless, posits that homelessness is neither inevitable nor unsolvable, the result of a flawed system rather than any flaws in those who become unhoused. As she debunks popular myths about homelessness ("Most Homeless People Are Mentally Ill and Dangerous," "Handouts Create Homelessness"), she traces its history back to colonial times, to the depressions of the nineteenth century, and to Reagan's disastrous administrative cuts. She is careful to note, though, that Republicans and Democrats alike are responsible--see Clinton's welfare reform. It's not all history. Brosnahan also covers contemporary efforts to criminalize homelessness, especially in New York City and California. Throughout, she notes the Calvinistic moralizing surrounding homelessness, what separates the "worthy" (widows and orphans) from the "unworthy" (those with substance abuse or mental health issues). But it's not hopeless. Brosnahan points to Housing First approaches (as opposed to Treatment First) that address the immediate need for shelter and privacy, approaches that lead to more effective treatment of surrounding issues. Readers will come away infuriated, with a greater understanding of the systemic causes of homelessness, and with more compassion for their homeless neighbors. Essential reading for any community affected by homelessness (which is all of them).

A historical overview of U.S. housing, with particular attention to homelessness. Brosnahan, former executive director of the Coalition for the Homeless in New York City, set herself three tasks. The first was to convince the reader that the antidote for chronic homelessness is decent, affordable, and permanent housing. Housing, she maintains, is "essential to be fully human." The second was to correct multiple, widely held myths regarding homelessness. Her case for "housing first" is a response to two of these myths. One is that "people need to prove they're worthy of and ready for assistance," a myth that supports a "treatment first" approach that strives to mitigate the mental and physical health problems before offering housing to the homeless. When combined with supportive services, she asserts, "housing first" is "humaneand practical" and more economically efficient. The other myth is that "investment in social housing has proved to be a failure." Deeply experienced and widely knowledgeable, Brosnahan believes this is false and offers limited equity cooperative housing in New York City as an example of its feasibility. (Given her all-in approach to "housing first," one wonders why housing is absent from the title.) The third task was to provide a history of housing and homelessness in the U.S. and New York City in order to reveal the roots of the homeless crisis and support her debunking of the myths. Her criticism, though, is often unfocused, while a number of her myths, such as "Homeless people just need to learn to save," hardly seem to qualify as widespread misperceptions. In addition, the attention she gives to the other two tasks detracts from her "housing first" position, the book's political core. A useful perspective but a less than fully developed argument on housing. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.