Table of Contents
Introduction 1
What Everyone Needs to Be Happy and Healthy 4
Chapter 1 Nowhere to Call Home 7
Spare Change? 7
Defining Homeiessness 7
A Safe Place to Stay 9
Homelessness Is Not a Choice 11
Chapter 2 Everyone Counts 25
Numbers Don't Tell the Whole Story 25
So Many Stories 26
The Effects of Trauma 33
Take Care of Yourself 34
Chapter 3 Life on the Streets 37
Day after Day 37
Staying Warm and Dry 39
Keeping Clean and Healthy 40
Sleeping Rough 42
For the Love of Pets 45
People's Possessions Are Not Garbage 46
Handling Needles 47
Small Change Makes a Big Difference 48
Bottle Picking and Dumpster Diving 50
Chapter 4 Beyond the Basics 53
Food for Everyone 53
Getting a Good Night's Sleep 56
On the Move 58
Makeshift Camps 59
A Tale of Two Tent Cities 60
Organizations at Work 62
Churches Supporting Communities 63
What Governments Do 64
Chapter 5 Not Wanted Here 67
Looking the Other Way 67
Sticks and Stones 68
"Bused Out" 68
Actions Speak as Loudly as Words 69
Getting to Know the Neighbors 72
Chapter 6 Paying the Bills 75
The High Cost of Homelessness 75
Working for a Living 76
Public Assistance 78
Living on a Pension 79
Rent Subsidies and Vouchers 80
Earning Money 81
The Bottom Line 82
What Would You Buy? 84
Chapter 7 Housing First 87
Which Comes First, Housing or Health? 87
Housing 88
Making It Work 90
Whose Job Is It? 91
Outreach Workers 93
Advocates 94
In Praise of Volunteers 95
Homeless People Helping Themselves 99
A Hand Up or a Handout? 99
Glossary 102
Resources 105
Acknowledgments 107
Index 108
