The Visible Poor: Homelessness in the United States [Paperback]

Joel Blau (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 13, 1993 | ISBN-10: 0195083539 | ISBN-13: 978-0195083538

Taking an in-depth look at the causes of homelessness in the U.S., Blau debunks the convenient myths that most homeless are crazy, drug addicts, or lazy misfits who brought their suffering upon themselves. He argues that current government policies at every level are mired in pointless headcounting and quick-fix solutions that don't deal with the underlying causes.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This illuminating work makes sense of the grim changes overtaking American society, incisively tracing the evolution of U.S. homelessness over the last 20 years. Blau, assistant professor at the School of Social Welfare at the State University of New York, argues that because our economic system produced the homeless, it is poorly equipped to solve their problems, the amelioration of which would require policies that conflict with the profit motive, the American ethos of self-sufficiency and the contemporary tendency to "commodify" basic needs. New York City's response to the homeless comes in for close scrutiny here. Though it has been better than other municipalities, its approach is still palliative and insufficient, he finds. Blau concludes that the visibility of the homeless, which threatens our economic assumptions, may ultimately ignite social change.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"Blau is an exemplary member of a group of scholars who are reclaiming the study of social policy from compartmentalization of both subject and method....This is a book that deserves a place on the bookshelf of every political scientist with a primary or even occasional interest in the dynamics of health policy....More important, this book should become part of the general knowledge of people who want to acknowledge the benefits that flowed for twenty-five years from 'health services research' and who now want to move on to take account of race, class, gender, and greed in studying health policy."--Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law

"Blau's book is bound to contribute to a better understanding of the problem of homelessness. That in itself is a step toward solution."--The Threepenny Review

"Blau's book adds significantly to the growing literature on the contemporary homeless in America."--American Journal of Sociology

"An important contribution to the homelessness debate....An excellent account, offering a thorough analysis of homelessness. The book is well structured, with broad general discussion supported by detailed case study material, and can be recommended to all who are interested in the wider issues underlying contemporary homelessness."--Housing Studies

"This illuminating work makes sense of the grim changes overtaking American society, incisively tracing the evolution of U.S. homelessness over the last 20 years."--Publishers Weekly

"This is the best overall book available on the subject of homelessness. It is indispensable for scholars, policy makers, public officials, and serious students. It is the book we will all put on our reading lists in courses on social problems and social policy."--Alfred J. Kahn, Professor (Emeritus), The Columbia University School of Social Work

"Joel Blau's work The Visible Poor combines the best of public policy analysis with a commitment to the poor in America. I will assign it to future Political Science classes when I go back to teaching and do my beset to assign it now to every United States Senator."--Senator Paul Wellstone

"The Visible Poor offers a comprehensive look at one of America's most blatant social injustices. Providing a much-needed context, this book takes a broad perspective, analyzing homelessness as a social problem rather than an individual aberration.... Illuminates the socio-political causes of homelessness, while also persuasively arguing for broad-based remedial policies....Thoughtful and provocative."--Maria Foscarinis, National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty

"[Blau] provides a comprehensive and fresh analysis of the complex causes of homelessness, and a detailed set of recommendations about how to address it. What he proposes is entirely consistnet with the adopted policies of The U.S. Conference of Mayors."--U.S. Mayor Conference Newsletter

"This book is intended for the intelligent lay reader as well as for professionals from a wide range of mental health specialties. The author is a social policy advocate who not only documents the scope and context of the homelessness problem but also has the courage to offer a solution that will not make him popular in conservative circles." --Readings

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (May 13, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195083539
• ISBN-13: 978-0195083538
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #586,618 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Your basic expanded, August 11, 2008

By 

LikeItOrNot - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Visible Poor: Homelessness in the United States (Hardcover)

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.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fascinating Look at the Causes of Homelessness, March 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Visible Poor: Homelessness in the United States (Paperback)

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.