The Visible Poor: Homelessness in the United States
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Book Overview
Taking an in-depth look at the causes of homelessness in the United States, Joel Blau disproves the convenient myths that most homeless are crazy, drug addicts, or lazy misfits who brought their suffering upon themselves. He shows that the current crisis was an inevitable result of economic and political changes in recent decades, systematically reviewing the explanations offered by researchers, politicians and pundits, from the deinstitutionalization of mental patients in the 1960s to the gentrification of urban neighborhoods in the 1970s to the evisceration of federal spending on social welfare in the 1980s. Blau argues that current government policies at every level are mired in pointless headcounting and quick-fix solutions that only push the homeless out of sight without touching the underlying causes. He advocates social reforms ranging form a national standard for welfare benefits, a higher minimum wage, and establishment of a social sector for non-profit, affordable housing. A powerful contribution to public debate on homelessness, The Visible Poor must be read by concerned citizens as well as by policy-makers and advocates.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0195083539
ISBN13:9780195083538
Release Date:May 1993
Publisher:Oxford University Press
Length:256 Pages
Weight:0.75 lbs.
Dimensions:0.6" x 5.5" x 8.6"
Customer Reviews
2 ratings
Your basic expanded
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 16 years ago
This is a very good source for somebody new to this interest because it offers a lot of facts in one place. It's also good for somebody more experienced in this area because it offers some interesting and unique perspectives. This is a good basic expanded book for anybody interested in the issues of homelessness.
A Fascinating Look at the Causes of Homelessness
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 24 years ago
If there are fewer and fewer cheap places to live, where should the poor go? And what about the feeling that those who are not working *should* be less well off than those who are? What does that mean when even those who DO work have trouble finding enough food and shelter? These are some of the troubling issue that Blau discusses in his thoughtful look at America's poor. The solutions he offers are public policy solutions, not charity.I found the book fascinating, but it's probably not something that would appeal to most libertarians. For the rest of us, it lends insight into a problem that persists even now, when the economy is thriving.
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