They Just Need to Get a Job by Mary Brosnahan

They Just Need to Get a Job by Mary Brosnahan

"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)."
-Booklist, Starred Review

For readers of Andrea Elliott and Matthew Desmond, the former CEO of the Coalition for the Homeless breaks through the highly destructive misinformation surrounding our homeless neighbors

As the COVID-19 crisis put millions of Americans in danger of eviction, the nation's affordable housing crisis has reached new heights. Yet Conservative think tanks like the Manhattan Institute continue to disseminate anti-homeless myths in the media, legislatures, and the larger culture:

• "These people just need to learn to save money."
• "Most homeless people are mentally ill and dangerous."
• "Runaways aren't really homeless."

Drawing on her deep legal knowledge, policy expertise, and decades of frontline service, Mary Brosnahan cuts through the misinformation to deliver two important messages: that homelessness ultimately stems from a lack of investment in affordable housing; and that the greatest myth of all is that we should have no hope. In fact, the proven solutions are well documented, and the ability to enact them depends on us all.

Brosnahan takes a nationwide look from New York to Detroit to rural areas such as Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, to debunk 15 widespread misconceptions, including:

• that the problem is inevitable (in fact, Housing First approaches have shown great success)
• that "handouts" cause homelessness (in fact, the primary causes are flat wages and high rent)
• that homeless people need to prove that they're "ready" to receive aid (in fact, enforcing hurdles is far more expensive and less effective than Housing First).

With brilliant insight, Brosnahan showcases how by dispelling these pervasive myths rooted in fear, we can embrace the affordable, housing-based solutions that will bring our impoverished neighbors home.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780807006979
ISBN 10	0807006971
Title	They Just Need to Get a Job
Author	Mary Brosnahan
Series	Myths Made In America Ser
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Beacon Press
Year published	2024-11-12
Number of pages	232
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.