Preface: The Function of Myth
Introduction: Anita
CHAPTER 1: A BRIEF HISTORY OF HOMELESSNESS
MYTH 1:
“Homelessness Is Inevitable and Intrinsically Unsolvable”
CHAPTER 2: THE ROOTS OF AMERICAN HOMELESSNESS
MYTH 2:
“Homelessness in America Is a Relatively New Phenomenon”
MYTH 3:
“Helping the ‘Worthy’ Poor Is the Best Way to End Poverty and Homelessness”
CHAPTER 3: HOMELESSNESS IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
MYTH 4:
“Ronald Reagan Created Modern Homelessness”
MYTH 5:
“Most Homeless People Are Mentally Ill and Dangerous”
CHAPTER 4: OFFERING AID CREATES MORE NEED
MYTH 6:
“If You Build It, They Will Come”
MYTH 7:
“There Is No Shortage of Help Available for the Homeless—They Just Need to Access It”
MYTH 8:
“Handouts Create Homelessness”
MYTH 9:
“Homeless People Just Need to ‘Get a Job’ to Lift Themselves Out of Homelessness”
MYTH 10:
“Homeless People Just Need to Learn to Save”
CHAPTER 5: WHO WE THINK OF WHEN WE THINK OF THE HOMELESS
MYTH 11:
“Runaways Really Aren’t Homeless”
MYTH 12:
“Homeless People Are Single Adults Living on City Streets”
CHAPTER 6: BARRIERS AND SOLUTIONS
MYTH 13:
“People Need to Prove That They’re Worthy of and Ready for Assistance”
MYTH 14:
“Investments in Social Housing Have Proven to Be Failures”
CHAPTER 7: RESISTANCE VS. REVOLUTION
MYTH 15:
“There’s Really Nothing I Can Do to Make a Meaningful Difference”
Acknowledgments
Notes
