Ending Homelessness Collection Development Ideas

Ending Homelessness: Why We Haven’t, How We Can

By Donald W. Burnes and David L. DiLeo

Summary

Nationally renowned experts on the subject of homelessness come together to discuss the complicated and dynamic problem.  They examine the known values, the history of how homelessness became such an epidemic, discuss the politics at work, and offer solutions.

Reasons to Add to the Collection

The editors, Donald Burnes and David DiLeo, is the founder and board chair of the Burnes Center on Poverty and Homelessness at the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work.

“A key read.... Delivers solid research on some of the innovative approaches to enumerating, servicing, and housing homeless people, as well as ongoing barriers to ending homelessness for good.” --Editorial review from Michele Wakin, Bridgewater State University

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Housing First: Ending Homelessness, Transforming Systems, and Changing Lives

by Benjamin Henwood, Deborah Padgett,‎ and Sam Tsemberis

Summary

This book is a summary of the Housing First initiative that began in New York City as an new and innovative approach to ending homelessness. The method has been proven to increase housing stability while decreasing the use of drugs and alcohol. As cities and communities around to world begin to duplicate the experiment for themselves, the authors have produced this book to help them. It is complete with research findings and personal stories of those who were helped to get off the streets by the program.

Reasons to add to the collection

All three authors are well-respected experst and leaders of their field, well known for their work with the homeless either through research, mental health, housing services. Tsemberis is the developer of the Housing First project.

Editorial reviews

"This book provides a broad history and framing of homelessness in the United States in which the housing first idea was developed. This was especially helpful for me as I was late into the homeless arena with very little understanding of homelessness, homeless research, Federal funding for homeless programs, and various organizational approaches. Even though I had gained some understanding of homelessness the last ten years, this book pulled together a clearer picture of homelessness and the expansion of the housing first approach nationally and internationally." --Lloyd S. Pendleton, Former Director, Homeless Task Force, State of Utah

"This book is an excellent account of the historic breakthrough of the Housing First approach all over the [developed] world. It explains not only how, but also why Housing First has proven to be the adequate and most effective approach to end homelessness for people with complex support needs. The homes created by Housing First programs offer "ontological security" to the formerly homeless tenants, a term which has been fruitfully used by Deborah Padgett to mark the essential advantages of the Housing First approach. From the beginning the basis for constancy, daily routines, privacy and identity construction is provided, a stable platform for a less stigmatized and more normalized life." --Prof. Dr. Volker Busch-Geertsema, senior research fellow of GISS-institute, Bremen, Germany and coordinator of the European Observatory on Homelessness

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Streetwise Magazine

Summary
Periodical that supplies the homeless population and those at risk of becoming homeless access to tools, resources and employment opportunities. It provides those community members in need "a hand up, not a handout" to help them selves find and keep stable housing, gainful employment, and money management skills to get individuals off the streets and keep them there.  

Reasons to Add to a Collection

Streetwise magazine has been used as a model for many publications of this kind all across North America.

Streetwise offers relevant articles from experts in the field.