Homelessness in America

ABSTRACT:

A second wave of books on homelessness in American has emerged since the crisis was first documented in the early 1980s. A dozen of these books are reviewed in this article. One conclusion of the review is that the urban dimensions of homelessness have yet to receive adequate treatment. An agenda for research on urban homelessness is offered, emphasizing the need to study the role of place in the lives of homeless people, the forces creating urban spatial reorganization, differences in social networks across homeless subpopulations, and the changing geographic organization of shelter and services targeted to the homeless.